The Unknown Number
by AznPuffyHair
Summary: There are in total, 108 Sekireis, found with 1 fully developed and the other 107 as fertilized embryos. However, there is one more that is unknown to all but two people... and one of them is already dead. There is one difference: he isn't a Sekirei... Discontinued.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of these except the story… now you CAN'T sue me!

Updated/Modified: July 7, 2010.

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"So… what exactly is so important that it must be kept a complete secret?" A man asks as he lets himself be dragged down a particular hall by a woman. Said woman has pale purple hair that reaches her waist, cut in ways that it ascends her angelic face, which houses a pair of stunning wine colored eyes. However, if one is to take a closer look at her, one will finds it odd how the beauty that she is shows little to no emotion at all… "Miya? Just what is the matter?"

"…It is in our best interest that what I'm about to show you remain a secret between us two." The woman identified as Miya says as she finally lefts go of the man's hand in front of a door. The man tilts his head at the door, wondering just how they missed something like this on a spaceship of this caliber. Maybe that's why they miss it? "I want your promise, no, your oath that you will NOT reveal this to anyone."

That causes the man to blink, never before seeing this intensity within the woman in front of him. It's refreshing, yet slightly unnerving that such intensity is now directed at him. But just to be sure… "Anyone?"

"ANYONE! Swear it."

"Alright, alright… I promise and swear on my life that this will be buried with me in my grave. Now what exactly is it that you're so… anxious about?" The man says before he asks, slightly exasperated and outrageously curious of what is to be shown to him. For Miya to react like this is rather unusual…

As for Miya, she just continues to glare at the man before her, searching him with her eyes for any sign of lie or deception. After almost a full minute, she nods, satisfied with what she finds, or lack there of, and turns around. "Remember, should you break your promise, I'll end you myself." That gets a shiver down his spine. As she places her right hand on the door, Miya starts speaking, "As you are aware, there are 108 of us…"

"Of course I do… 108 live specimens, with 1 as a full grown adult in stasis and 5 as fetuses, and 102 other fertilized embryo. I'm partially responsible for them you know?"

Nodding as the door hisses and open, Miya continues, "Yes. One of us as the adult, 5 as fetuses and the other 102 as nothing but embryos, vulnerable to being tempered and molded… However, have you ever wonder, why I'm the only one as the adult…?"

Now that latches onto the man's attention immediately, making thoughts and questions fly through his head at the speed of light. Just why is there only ONE adult in the entirety of the 108 specimens? In fact, why not include a male specimen if whoever built this has the intention of saving their race, as it appears to be? Why instead of several adults, there is only ONE? …Why haven't they thought of question such strange method of preservation?

"…We, meaning the 107 others and me, we all share one thing despite the major difference between us. We may be different, and granted with different powers as well as abilities, but down to the genetic level, we all share one factor that makes us who we are." Miya starts again as she leads the intrigued and slightly disturbed man into the room, showing that it's a small corridor that leads to yet another door, one which is heavily reinforced and heavily defended by multiple sentry guns and many weapons of different types that the man actually takes a step back in alarm. Miya however just continues to walk forward, ignoring how the weapons train themselves on her as she reaches the door. "We share the gene of someone who is… beyond words."

"What…?" The man manages to stutter out in response just as Miya easily unlocks the blast door with her left hand. Looking back over her shoulder, she smiles gently for what appears to be the second time the man known her.

In an uncharacteristic soft voice, she says, "I would like you to meet someone very dear to me…"

Stepping to the side, the woman beckons for the man to enter. Blinking his eyes covered by his hair, the man slowly and unsteadily makes his way into the room. What he sees before him is entirely incomprehensible… yet at the same time makes so much sense…

"…Is this…"

The man never gets to finish his sentence, because in the next moment, an almost unbearable pressure exerts itself onto him, and if it isn't because of Miya who reacted quickly by placing her hand on his shoulder, he would have collapsed into an undignified pile of flesh on the group. When he regains some composure, he looks up only to gasps.

A pair of blue eyes stares back at him with nothing but the intention to harm… Until they land on the person that's keeping him from ending up as a heap of gasping limbs. Then, THEN they shift to hold such warmth that the man finds it so amazing, he gasps once more despite lacking the required amount of air to do so.

Miya speaks then, "Welcome back to the land of the conscious… chichioya…"

XXXXXXXXXX

**Many years later…**

Asama Miya hums happily to herself as she gently swirls the soup as to get the perfect mixture. Having achieve the rich color of a wondrous miso soup, the woman nods before reaching behind her to grab the plate of tofu and then dump it into the boiling goodness. In just a short few minutes, the soup will be complete, and lunch will be served.

With that out of the way, the landlady lets her mind wonders to the newest addition of the Inn: a little girl that is no older than 8, Kusano. Long messy locks that is a sandy blonde with big, expressive green eyes, the girl is an instant hit for the landlady, even though she'll never out right admits it. She always wanted children with Takehito, but they never got the chance to really give it a try. They have, however, done 'experiments' as Matsu is so fond of saying… Good time, good time.

That aside, she can't help it, but she views all the Sekireis in some twisted form as her children. She had after all watched them grow. She was there when the single digits from 6 to 9 were developed, and she was there when 108 was finally given the green light to be grown even though she was hidden at the time. Some may remember her as the lady that always stands there, silently encourage them to stand through the adjustments, and other may remember her as but a fading image, smiling down at them to calm their nerves. Hell, she even remembers little Musubi, being nothing more than a tiny little infant that can crush a truck. She still remembers accidentally having her finger caught in her chubby little hands… and how it takes the combined might of Kazehana, Karasuba, and Mutsu to pry her free. Though it did little to save her bones form being crushed. It was painful, but still rather enduring, as she can still remembers little Musubi's giggles as she whine in pain.

"How time flies…"

"Indeed… in a blink of an eye, and nineteen years have passed…"

Yelping in alarm, Miya quickly picks up the knife on the cutting board, spins around, and holds it at the person who just spoke. Blinking as she finally registers just who it is that she is pointing a knife at, a blush makes its way up her face and she stutters, "Ah, s-sorry!"

The new arrival just chuckles before his eyes gain a mischievous look. "So… how's little Miya? Or should I call you okaa-chan?"

That seems to be the wrong thing to say, because a purple demonic face appears behind Miya as the light around her dims, and in an extraordinary sweet voice, she says, "Iyan~! It's onee-chan, not okaa-chan!" Normally, this display would have scare ANYONE, and it's even debatable that Karasuba will flinch at it, but the figure just chuckles good heartedly at it. In light of this, Miya just does the next best thing available to her: she pouts. "Mou~! Don't tease me like that!"

"Hai, hai." The person says before all trace of playfulness left his face, and he asks, "How are you doing?"

Hearing that, Miya's face too lost all trace of playfulness, replaced only by a sorrow that twists her face to what it shouldn't be. After a few seconds, she sighs, smiles softly, and says, "I'm alright… thank you."

"Alright… you know where to find me should you require anything… even if it's just someone to vent on or an ear to chat off." With that said, the person vanishes with out a trace, leaving no indication that he was ever there.

To all of this, Miya just smiles once more, her face brighten slightly at the offer before she says, "Well… there is a problem. I can never seem to find you." Having no response and expecting none, Miya returns to the lunch she was preparing and once more starts to hum to herself.

There is one lingering thought in her mind though. She wonders if he'll interfere in this crazy scheme called the Sekirei Plan.

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AN: Err… I have no idea why I did this. Maybe I just need to get it out of my head? Whichever the case, I just finished three fourth of my final for this quarter, so I'm making myself do whatever I can to relieve some stress. As to the idea… as far as I know, I'm the first person to try something like this, not in the sense of a Naruto Sekirei crossover, but in the sense of how Naruto is presented in here.

Either way, please tell me what you think. Any comments are welcomed, and suggestions as well as flames are accepted as well. Though do note that this will be continued regardless of what was said, and it'll be rather short when compared to what I have in mind for the other.

So… review please!


	2. Introduction to Trouble

A response to Shadow Rave: not really a rule of thumb, but more of an unspoken agreement to usually write stories in the past tense. But me? I don't particularly care. I can write flashbacks in past tense, or try it out, but I tend to write smoother AND help minimize grammar mistakes should I write in present tense. In short, I have to purposely put a portion of my mind into making it past tense when I'd being doing it in present tense all this time, so I rather not. I'm sorry if it doesn't match your taste, but I'm not like the majority when it comes to tenses and writing styles.

Thanks HolyKnight5 for giving me some suggestions regarding Naruto's seemingly immortality (or actually immortality… wait and see one this part). Just to be sure, they may be twigged as to allow some for of flexibility when it comes to the plot, so while what you suggested are good, they may not stay the way you suggested them.

Other than that, enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: Nope, do not own them at all.

Updated/Modified: July 7, 2010.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU COULDN'T FIND HER?" Sahashi Takami shouts with eyes practically spelling a bloody and painful murder at the cowering troops in front of her. If there is one person other than the Hannya of the North and the Black Sekirei that they do not want to mess with, then it's the person in front of them.

Sahashi Takami, age is unknown under the pain of death, but her hair has turned a surprising shade of silver for someone as young as her. Piercing grey eyes that can freeze hell over should she needs it are currently making a massacre out of the faculties responsible for retrieving the Sekirei, Number 43 Yomi.

But you see, that is where the problem occurs. They couldn't find her…

How do they lose an unconscious, and probably wounded and half naked girl is completely beyond her, but to say Takami is displeased would be an understatement. In fact, how do they lose the girl in the small period of time that it takes for them to drop down form the helicopter to the ground baffles her to no end. She would certainly write it off as them being completely unreliable, and she is just about to tear into them with that as her fuel when the memory of something from years back assaults her.

**Flashback…**

"_Takehito, who is behind you?" Takami asks as she watches the adjuster for the Disciplinary Squad walks down the hall with another person trailing behind him. The man, Asama Takehito just cheerfully waves at her in return and completely ignores her question. That's how he earns himself a clip board to the head and her hissing, "Do not ignore me. Now again, who is that?"_

"_T-that would be Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. He's a close friend of mine." Takehito says as he rubs his head with a whine. Seeing that he is getting no sympathy from the woman, he almost calls her a demon until he quickly restrains himself. It wouldn't do to be killed now. "Don't worry about him being here."_

"_You said that, but how can I be sure?" Takami asks as she crosses her arms, eyes narrowing at the blue eyed, blonde haired individual that is also observing her. Oddly enough, the woman quickly label the guy as someone who she should not mess with, even though she is bullheaded and crazy enough to deck even the head of the company she works for should it be necessary. There is just something about this… man –for she hesitates to call him one from the feeling he seemingly emits- that sets her off and raises red flags in her mind. "For all I know, he may be some spy from a country that tries to infiltrate."_

_Hearing this, Takehito doubles over in laughter, setting off Takami's temper even though this time she refrains from decking him so she can get an explanation. She is not disappointed, though the source of the explanation isn't what she expects it to be, or rather who it is from._

"_Ah, Naruto-san, you're here to visit?" Miya's voice drifts from behind her, and Takami spins around to see the head of the Disciplinary Squad, as emotionless as ever, standing there. "Matsu missed you so."_

_For the first time since she met him, Takami witness some reaction from the blonde. A shiver that is plenty visible travels up and down his spin in seconds as his face –which is tanned as is any exposed skin upon him Takami notes- turn pale. "Dear god… did she read those books again? Why am I surrounded by pervert?" His voice is… Takami isn't sure what to say. Boyish certain seems to describe it, but not fitting and certainly isn't what should be used. Maybe charming would be the word?_

"_I'm afraid so. I do believe it was a mistake publishing those books." Number One says with a shake of her head before she turns her attention to Takami and gives a small bow. "Takami-san, I bid a fine afternoon to you. Now if you'll please excuse us, Takehito-san has some business to conduct with Naruto-san." Straightening up, Miya turns around and starts to walk away, tossing a casual "Right this way please" to the duo behind her. Takami can only stares in astonishment, first of all because that is the first time she hear Miya talk without the words 'rule' and 'laws' involved one way or another, and second of all because she is so familiar with the blonde mystery that is now walking away with her fellow researcher._

_Which ever the case, Takami's guts tell her that it will not be the last time she lays eyes on Uzumaki Naruto._

**End…**

And it wasn't, because he was there the day Miya left with Takehito…

The destruction they left behind is so classified that no one but those directly under Minaka and the first generation Disciplinary Squad know. So if he is involved with Yomi's disappearance, then she cannot in good conscience fault the cowering team in front of her.

This changes things… But first, she needs confirmation. "Get out of my sight." When she gives that order, the team couldn't be happier and actually move so fast that the woman wonders if they manage to break some world record. That aside… Picking up her cell phone, the adjuster of many Sekireis molds the thought over in her mind for a few more seconds, weighing the pros and cons of following through her idea. One can say Takami and Miya aren't exactly on the best of terms, but at least it's fortunate that they aren't at each other's throat like Miya and Karasuba are. She can asks for a favor, but fears what the Hannya will ask in return.

Nobody has ever dares to move against Miya; her strength isn't the only reason…

"…Oh what the hell, best get it over with." The adjuster mumbles before quickly dialing the number for the one person she knows that can guarantee a private conversation with Miya. Putting the device to her ear, she listens to the ringing for a while before it connects through. Without waiting for the usual greeting and pleasantry from the Sekirei, she barks out, "Homura, I need to talk to Miya."

"**H-heh? What's this all of a sudden Takami?"** Homura's voice asks from the other end of the phone, and Takami can only imagine the surprise on his face. It is no secret that she and Miya never really get along with each other.

"Don't ask questions. Just patch me through to her. Tell her it's important." Maybe she laid it down a bit too harsh? But then again, this situation does not call for fineness. It is very important that she confirms her suspicion.

When no response comes through, Takami knows that Homura is carrying out her request. Hopefully her worries can be laid to rest with just this call. Other wise, things will really become very complicated…

"…**What do you want?"**

Yup, she is as lovable as always. "Miya, I need to know if _HE_ is back, as in here, in the capital."

"**What is it to you if he is back or not? It would hardly make a difference so long as he stays in the sideline."**

Got you… "Miya, one of the defeated Sekirei disappeared from the site. If _HE_ is in the city, things will get extremely complicated because I know that only _HE_ has the skill to kidnaps an unconscious Sekirei right under the retrieval team's nose. This whole madness is already complex enough as it is, and I really don't want it getting any more complicated if I can help it. We do not need something like that adding to the situation." Takami pauses here to let it sinks in a little before she takes a breath and play the moral high ground. "It may also save lives as far as I'm concerned." The last part isn't a total lie, but isn't even half the truth. The truth is that Naruto can easily wipe out the capital of Japan and still have energy to spare, but he will not do so unless there is a very good reason behind it. Takehito confirmed that little suspicion as well as reassured her when she outright confronted him about some data that puts Naruto at the level of a god (how she got them is not anyone's concern). While she is no fool in believing that Naruto won't move against them should the situation calls for it, she is also very sure at the moment that he won't kill anyone so long as they don't provoke him by harming anyone he keeps an eye on… damn, now she needs to find out who he is keeping an eye on.

"…**Very well. He is in town. However, I do not know where he is at the moment. He finds me, I don't find him."** The phone immediately cuts off after that, and Takami holds it in front of her as her thoughts race through her head.

The Sekirei Plan has just become that much more complicated.

Now the only question is should she tell Minaka, or let him figure it out himself?

Just then, the phone rings once more, and curious, Takami picks it up, wondering what Homura wants after checking the number. When she puts it to her ear though…

"**By the way… aren't you going to visit your son Minato?"** A disgustingly sweet voice drifts into her ear, and Takami tenses as she can practically feel the demonic head glaring at her back. If there is one thing that she fears and is not afraid to admit it, it's Miya when she is in her Hannya mode. It is also at times like this that she curses Takehito for ever showing Miya how to do this. **"You should at least take the time to see if he is alright in person, ne~~~~?"**

After making an excuse about not having the time and quickly hangs up, Takami wonders if it is karma paying her back for all those times she abuse her privilege as mother in regards to her son. It certainly feels like it.

**Beep-beep!**

"Huh?" Takami ponders who would call her, and hope that it isn't a particular Hannya. Checking the caller ID to be sure that it's not Homura, she is actually surprised to find it to be the Ashikabi of the Disciplinary Squad. Now this is interesting. Accepting the call, the mother of two children puts it by her ear and says, "Hai? What is it? …What? …Huh? …Eh? Acting weird you say? Alright, I'll take a look… What? Am I available right now? I suppose I could… Alright, I'll see you in a few."

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Miya gently hands Homura's cell phone back to him with a smile before quickly heading off to continue with her chores.

Anyone who looks at her at that very moment will think that she is but a happily married woman that is currently doing her daily chores, such as cooking and cleaning.

Those who know her and peer into her eyes will see the thoughts racing through her heads at a ferocious pace and her heart clenching and unclenching for her dead husband whom she loved with all her heart. The person Takami had just inquired about is very important to not just her, but also her husband, may God rest his soul.

However, she knows now things will be different. The Sekirei Plan will be meddled with, and not even someone of Minaka's genius can stop it.

But first, she needs to know how Takami comes to suspect if not already confirmed about his arrival. Takami said something about a missing Sekirei was it? It appears a visit to their resident hacker is needed… That reminds her, she needs to keep a close eye on her. Miya does not permit sexual relationship of any kind between single man and woman, and an Ashikabi like Minato certainly is single and easily manipulated into doing certain deeds.

"After all, my words are law here …" Miya cheerfully says to herself, disgustingly sweet and down right scary as the light around her dims and a giant demonic visage appears behind her, glaring at a particular dark corner of the corridor.

"Eep!"

That is her only warning. Everything after that requires physical intervention…

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Soft…

She isn't sure what to expect really, because in truth, no one knows what to expect after having their crest removed. Nobody, not even their adjusters know what will befall the Sekireis that are eliminated from the game. All they know is that they will be retrieved by MBI, and that is all.

So if this is what she should expect, then it isn't all that bad…

…Soft?

"HUUEEEEEEHHH?" Number Forty Three Yomi exclaims in surprise as she quickly shots up into a sitting position. Feeling a draft, she peers down only to yelps in alarm to find herself naked. Pulling the bed sheet up to her chest, the Sekirei scans her surrounding for any threat and indication as to where she is. As far as she can tell, this is some sort of mansion, situated somewhere close to the capital, or maybe the island the ship is located at. Whichever the case, she'll hand it to the décor that he or she has very good taste.

Yomi is sitting on a large four-post bed, with high quality sheets and fluffed up pillows that may as well be over-stuffed yet still incredibly comfortable. The room is rather spacious, not in the sense that it's gigantic –thought it certainly isn't small-, bur rather in the placement of the furniture to present enough open area to navigate around. A large wooden desk and an elegant chair are situated under the only window of the room, but that alone is enough to light up the room since it's at least four feet wide and six feet high coupled with deep red curtains tied to the side at the moment. The carpet is also a rich crimson color that goes well with the wooden walls that surround the room. There, on the door by the little hook is a copy of her outfit with a piece of paper attached to it. There is also a full length mirror next to the door, put just right so that the owner of this room may check him or herself out to be sure that they are presentable.

Very sure that there are no threats around and no hidden cameras –Sekirei has extremely good eye sight after all-, Yomi carefully walks to the door and rips off the piece of paper to read it. All it says is this:

_Yomi-chan,_

_There are some good news and bad news. The good news is that you're completely healthy with no permanent damage done to your body._

_The bad news is that you can no longer participate in the Sekirei game, seeing that your crest was removed during your last fight…_

Pausing as she reads that, she reads it again, then a third time before doing so for the fourth time. Eyes widening, she dashes to the mirror and tries to get a view of the crest that brands at the back of her neck. After a few tries and finding that her body is simply not built for her neck to move any further, she quickly ransack the room for some other mirror like surface, finally finding a small hand-held mirror in the attached bathroom she missed somehow. Bringing it to the full length mirror once more, she pulls her hair to the side and angles the smaller mirror just right to get… no crest.

No crest means she failed her master…

Slumping against the door with her back to it and sliding to the floor in shock, the Sekirei wonders what she should do now. She's practically useless now…

Feeling the slightly crumbled paper in her hand, Yomi decides that she might as well finish reading it. There are still quite a bit of things to read through after all.

_The bad news is that you can no longer participate in the Sekirei game, seeing that your crest was removed during your last fight…though depending on how you look at it, it can be seen as good news. At least now, you do not have to participate in unnecessary fight should you not wish to._

What a load of bull. She WANTS to fight… it's what she was made for isn't it?

_Whichever the case, know that you are currently not on MBI soil. You are in fact in an uncharted island just off the coast of Japan, which coast however is for you to find out later. Should you not believe me, check outside your window._

Finding that it is a little hard to believe, Yomi stomps up to the window and peers outside, only to gasps in wonder at the vast oceanic view that greets her. Now this is catching her interest; Yomi returns to reading the letter.

_Well, either way, I welcome you to my humble home. _"Humble, right, this mansion?" Yomi lets out an unlady like snort at this before she continues reading. _I have taken the liberty of removing you from MBI's hand, but should you wish to return, you simply need to ask, and it shall be done. Other wise, I would ask that you enjoy your stay here, but unless given expressive permission, do not leave the island for your own good. Your safety at the moment is top priority for me seeing that I have no idea what MBI would do to Sekireis that were eliminated from the game._

_Please don't treat this like an imprisonment or house arrest, but rather take it as a vacation well deserved after all those times within the lab._

_Sincerely yours…_

_Well, I suppose you can just call me Naruto._

_PS: As you should already notice (unless you're a complete klutz) there is cloth prepared for you. It is made as a perfect copy of what you once wore, and there are also undergarments provided._

_PPS: No, I'm not a pervert. I have a close friend fetch those undergarments for you._

_PPPS: Should you be hungry, just turn left from your door and keep walking until you reach a set of stairs. Walk down it and turn left once more to reach the dining room. A chief should be there to take your order._

That, now that is really interesting… So she is basically kidnapped from right under MBI's nose. The prospect of it makes her wary, yet at the same time somewhat thankful. She really has no idea what MBI does to beaten Sekirei. For all she knows she can be locked within another lab and once more become a lab rat. That idea does not sit well with her at all. Though there is always the chance that she is toss into a stasis tank, but to be put to sleep and not be allowed to wake up until the game is over or maybe forever is a scary thought that Yomi does not know how to react to it.

After mulling over her thoughts for a while, Yomi decides to just see what happens as she crumbles the letter and toss it into a small waste basket next to the table. Walking over to her newly provided outfit, she quickly get dress, doing so with practiced ease of the many times she puts on an outfit of identical designs. There is even a pair of shoes that fits her. Let's not delve into the issue of undergarments at the moment. She really hopes that whoever this Naruto is, that it really was some close friend of his that fetched them. Said friend also better be a female, or a guy who has no interest in the female sex of the specie _Homo_ _sapiens_.

Checking and deeming herself presentable, Yomi bemoans the lack of a ribbon to holds her hair in, but beggar can't be chooser. Sighing once more, she quietly opens the door of the room and sets foot into a massive hallway that has, to her amazement, several more doors down both ends. She couldn't help but snorts once more, "Humble my ass…" The hall is lighted by large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and Yomi feels her interest growing even more. Not even Mikogami Hayato, her Ashikabi –ex-Ashikabi she reminds herself sourly and with a hint of sorrow- has something like this…

Putting that out of her head, Yomi quickly turns left and starts down the hallway, mentally keeping count of how many doors she passes on her way so she can remember the room she was given should the need to return arises. After a few minutes of walking, she comes to a set of stairs that can either go up or down. Remembering the letter's instruction, the Sekirei heads down, and when she reaches the bottom, turns left to face a set of double door. This should be the dinning room.

Pushing the double door open, she is greeted by a magnificent dining hall that is simply HUGE. Tilted floor of an intriguing marble, the floor is occupied by many large round tables; each giving six seats, with a grand total of eighteen tables if Yomi's counting isn't off. Currently, one of the tables is occupied by two people, and the table is piled with various foods of various types. Walking over, she opens her mouth to demands some explanation when one of the person already there strikes at her memory, immediately freezing her on the spot, leaving her gawking with ever increasing horror.

"Ah, I see you're awake." The apparent owner of the place, a man with blonde hair and a strikingly handsome face says in a charming voice as he dabs his mouth with a napkin says, "I do believe you two are acquainted, so I'll just introduce myself if that isn't too inconsiderate. I am Uzumaki Naruto, but you can just call me Naruto." The man says with a smile, revealing his cerulean blue eyes as he makes eye contact with Yomi. The Sekirei is well aware of the fact that he is ignoring the way his… companion is glaring a hole into the side of his head. If it was her being glared at, she'll run out of the room faster than you can say the word 'hide.'

Seemingly reading her thoughts, the man's smile turns decisively fox like and mischievous, only being enhanced by the six whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each side. Strangely enough, Yomi cannot find herself being wary of the man in front of her. "Now that formality is over and done with, sit down. I'm sure you're hungry. Help yourself. Oh, and don't worry about her. She won't bite, at least not here she won't." Naruto's words are rewarded with the intensity of the glare multiplying by multiple factors, and the owner of the glare baring her teeth in barely contained anger. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Yomi is relieved in that it isn't directed at her.

Still, seeing this situation, Yomi has to remind herself that this is not MBI territory, and that she can only assumes that whoever this Naruto is, he must either very powerful, or very important.

Other wise, he better hopes he has a very good reason for having who he has over at this very moment. Or damn the consequences, she is jumping the island and swim as far away as she can. Although on the plus side, she does note that his other guest is not pleased with being here either, so there is a chance that she'll… shorten his life spam and somehow in a show of kindness takes Yomi with her when she leaves the island.

However unlikely that is, Yomi can only hope really, REALLY desperately that she didn't just get dragged out of the fire pit, only to be dump into hell.

XXXXXXXXXX

First of all… cookie to the one who can successfully guess the unnamed person at the end of this chapter. I will not lie to you should you guessed it right, but I will ask that you don't post it in review, but rather PM me with it. There is also the fact that I've gave two very tiny hints (or rather big ones depending on how you see it) in the chapter.

Next off, as suggested by a reviewer (and you know who you are), I'd try and lengthen the chapter. It is considerably easy, considering what I'm putting in this one. There are no guarantees that it'll continue to grow in length, but nothing suggest that it won't either. I have the general plot in my head, but nothing is certain until it is put on paper, and even then, things are subject to change. So…

After that, my head is once more brimming with ideas, so I am putting them to rest as fast as I'm capable of. If you're familiar with my KH crossover, then you'll understand what I say when I say "writer's heat." If not… well, it's the opposite of "writer's block" if you will.

That is all I'm saying and doing at this particular moment. It is very likely that I'm already putting down the next chapter before the first review arrives. Other wise, leave a review on what you think. Flames and suggestions are again welcomed.

APH signing off for this chapter and hope to see you next time.

PS: For those who think this has plenty of potential… thank you for the praise, but I'm not sure if I can deliver.


	3. What in the world?

Disclaimer: I do not own the parts presented except the story line. The individual manga belongs to their respective owner!!

XXXXXXXXXX

**7 years ago…**

"What's with you?" Naruto asks as he glares at a young man in front of him, who glares right back. The young man, or as Naruto scathingly called boy isn't too tall, but isn't short either, with a head of messy brown hair and dark eyes, border line brown and black. He is most likely a high school student at the very least, and judging from the way he dresses, he is not a very good one… but appearance can be deceiving.

Either way, the two continues to glare at each other, electricity flying and sparks jumping from the space between them. The bystanders have long since evacuated… all but one. This one person happens to be the cause of the dispute… or more like related to the cause of the dispute. The topic of this dispute: octopus orbs.

"I was here first. Don't you know that it's impolite to cut in front of people?" Naruto grounds out while making share to show his longer-than-natural canine teeth at the youth in front of him. To his amusement, the teen not only isn't affected by it, but also bare his own teeth in return.

"Well, I was in a hurry, so you should let me go first." The boy barks back, ticking Naruto off further with the strange logic as well as the fact that he is probably late to whatever he is hurrying to. Of course, the blonde will be the bigger man and not resorts to violence. It simply won't do to mutilate the boy for no reason at all. "I bet you're just some old pervert that gets his kick from peeking at the hot springs."

…Screw it, someone call the hospital.

"Why you…" Naruto says as his bangs shadows his eyes, but only seems to make them glow a reddish color as behind him, the street disappears and in its place is a colossus crimson fox with nine swirling tails snaring down at the boy. His mouth has long since forgo its frown, and instead takes up on a savage grin that promise much bloodshed and pain at the boy in front of him, who gulps knowing that he had just gotten himself a one way trip to the hospital least some miracle happens. "You have just crossed the line… **boy**."

Of course, miracle happens in the form of a hand smacking Naruto in the back of his head. "Ouch! What was that for Miya?" The blonde whines as he rubs his head, completely forgetting the trembling youth in front of him that looks on the verge of soiling his pants. His attention is instead focused on a lady with pale purple hair and wine colored eyes, frowning at him with hands on her shapely hips. "Do you have to hit me that hard?"

"To answer your first question, it is for scaring the poor boy." Miya explains before jabbing a finger into his chest, emphasizing each word with a hard poke, "And I have to hit this hard because other wise, you will not respond. Now help me with these."

"Huh?" That is all Naruto manages to get out before several bags of groceries are unceremoniously disposed of into his arms. "W-wha?!"

"Now come along. We've let Takehito-kun waited long enough." Miya says as she quickly turns around to walk away, only to remember the poor boy that is likely traumatized for eternity and turns back to him. Offering a warm smile, the woman says, "I'm sorry for my friend here. If there is anything I can do to make up for it, please do not be hesitate to tell me."

"…Y-you could treat me to dinner…" The boy says, still somewhat trembling from the near death experience he just gone through. Miya blinks at the unusual request before nodding in acceptance. Seeing the approval, the boy offers a roughish smile and says, "Alright! I'm Kaoru Seo, please to meet you."

"Oh my, I'm Asama Miya, and this here is Uzumaki Naruto, it is a pleasure to meet you." Miya says in return with a small bow, forcing Naruto into a small bow as well with a hand on the back of his head. The boy laughs at the display, completely forgetting about what just transpired not but a few minutes ago. "Oh, and I do hope you're in your best behavior. You see, Takehito-kun, my husband, does not tolerate misbehavior in his house… am I clear?" The last part comes out so sweet, that Seo actually cringes. He cringes even more when the light around Miya dims and a purple demonic mask appears above her. What can he do? He nods his head frantically in acceptance while fighting down his instinct to run with his proverbial tail between his legs.

Satisfied with it, Miya returns to her happy self and turns around, saying, "Good, now come along. I should have dinner started a while ago."

Seeing this, Naruto wonders if Seo didn't just get himself ensnared by the Hannya. Although he is slightly glad. The boy intrigues him to no end…

XXXXXXXXXX

**Present…**

Hikari and Hibiki, Sekirei Number 11 and 12 respectively, have never see their Ashikabi, one Kaoru Seo this nervous before. Oh sure he gets wary when Miya goes Hannya mode on them, but who doesn't?

Thus when the moment Seo starts to smile nervously and act as polite as possible to the blonde man, who has introduced himself as Naruto to them, walked into his apartment, the twin Sekirei knows something to be wrong. Their Ashikabi, as much as they do not want to admit it… okay, totally admit that he is a scum, he is also very resourceful and intelligent despite his lazy attitude. He has thus far able to keep them alive and fed, even though half of the time, he has to go running to Miya (and in return, he comes back to a beating from the twin).

Either way, being Seo's Sekireis come with its own perk despite the harsh living conditions they have to be in. For one, they know the who's who of everything, meaning they know who to go for underground operations or even who to seek out to get information about certain things. He knows practically the ins and outs of the city, like it is the back of his hand and then some. He has a vast knowledge of MBI operatives and enough contacts that they will never be in the dark as to what MIB is planning; though the entirety of they Sekirei Plan is still out of his hand.

With all that in mind, they should know the person in front of them if he is even remotely important. The fact that he can make Seo sweat by just being there means that he is important, but they have no recollection of their Ashikabi every mentioning a blonde haired blue eyed individual to them.

Of course, so far, all the new arrival Naruto did was sits there with a grin on his face; hands folded neatly resting on his crossed legs. That is all he is doing. In fact, he isn't even dressed to impress; only donning a pair of plain jeans, a white t-shirt under an orange jacket, and a pair of black and white sneakers, the blonde simply waltz into their life.

He waltz into their life, and made their Ashikabi sweat like a pig.

The silence they sit in has being stretching by the minutes, and the ticking of the only clock within their apartment has long since grown impossibly loud. The tension is not unbearable, more like suffocating yet still tolerating. Hikari has been fidgeting with her hands while Hibiki does so with the hem of her shirt; the former wanting to do something about this silence and the latter trying to come up with ways of breaking this silence.

"So…"

The single words shatter the tension as if one has taken a sludge hammer to a piece of already cracked china. It causes Hikari to jumps while Hibiki yelps in surprise. Seo actually is so startled that he jumps onto his feet and yells out, "I DIDN'T' DO IT!! TAKEHITO DARE ME TO TAKE IT!!! BUT I DIDN'T DO IT!!! MIYA DID!!"

"Huh? Do what?" Naruto asks, being the one to break the silence, thus immune to the seemingly destructive power it possesses. The blonde watches as the three in front of him chuckles sheepishly in unison, making him smile in amusement, thinking just how fitting the two Sekireis should choose the one person that allows them to display who they truly are. Anyhow, he should finish what he sets out to do first now that the ice is broken. "Anyway, as I was going to say before, I want to know how you're doing. You did quit your job in MBI."

"No, I quit it the moment Hikari and Hibiki were released." Seo corrects as he reaches for a cigarette and lights up the cancer stick with an igniter from his pocket. Taking a puff, he exhales the fumes and says, "As for how I'm doing? I'm doing pretty well actually. There are no expectation from anyone and no pressure from some higher up trying to get some result."

Naruto laughs at this, and even Seo lets out a few chuckles. Hikari groans in annoyance and shame while Hibiki asks if this is something he should be proud of. When Seo gives her a blank look, Sekirei Number 12 drops her head in defeat before turning her attention to Naruto. "I'm sorry about our guy over there –"Hey, what do you mean our 'guy over there?' I have a name you know?"-…oh, how rude of us; we haven't even prepared tea. Please wait for a moment."

Naruto just waves at her to stop and says, "No, it's alright. It'll be quick anyway." With that said and a smile offered as thanks, Naruto turns his attention back to Seo, his amusement all but gone as his face takes on a serious characteristic. It is a major contrast as oppose to the man who waltz in with a megawatts smile. "So what exactly do you plan to do about the Sekirei Plan… and don't feed me some bullshit like you plan to win it. I know you better than that."

"What is it to you? It would hardly matter what I do so long as I don't get in your way isn't it?" Seo smirks as he takes another puff of his cancer stick and blows out the fume after two seconds. Maintaining eye contacts with the blonde, the Ashikabi says, "Rather the question should be what do YOU intend to do about the Sekirei Plan? Do not give me some bullshit about you just being curious, because I KNOW you were there the night Number 108 was winged."

"Oh? Your detection skill has grown…"

"Answer the question." Seo pressures as he leans forward, the cigarette now hanging between his lips as his brows meet in a frown. Hikari and Hibiki immediately understand that whatever he gets, it'll probably change his course of action. "I won't let you leave until you do."

"You answer mine first…" Naruto deflects as he too leans forward slightly, the shadow somehow growing on his face, framing it in a way that it makes him appear threatening. "What makes you think you can stop me anyway?" Number 11 and 12 immediately gets into defensive position, acting to a threat that may very well be true as Naruto's lips twists into a smirk. For whatever reason, the blonde man appears bigger than he actually is. The twin Sekireis remember that he is only slightly higher than Seo, but not buffer, so why does he appear so much larger now?

Once more, a tension saturates the air that makes Hikari and Hibiki uneasy, wondering if they have to move to defend or attack the person that now is trying to crush them with his presence alone. Seo is surprisingly holding on rather well. If the Sekireis have to guess, the twin will say that he is actually the one holding out the best amongst them three.

And then the pressure simply disappears, and the two men share a chuckle for reasons that simply fly over Hikari and Hibiki's head.

When the chuckles subside, Naruto sighs before standing up, Seo copying his action and the two shares a hand shake. Before they let go of each other, Naruto says, "Whatever you do, be careful. I am not always here to look after you."

Seo laughs loudly at that and replies, "Yeah, whatever old man. I can take care of myself."

"Hmph. I highly doubt that." Naruto snorts as he lets go of Seo's hand and heads for the door. Opening it, he is just about to steps out when he tosses over his shoulder "You do know the offer still applies? What is keeping you here now?"

The twin shares a look, wondering what the blonde is talking about as well as what Seo means when he calls Naruto an old man. The two doesn't have long to ponder upon it before they find an arm circling each of their waist in an embrace and their face buried in Seo's chest. Giving out a weak protest, the two quiet down immediately to see what Seo is doing with this. "As you can see, I have something else to take care of now besides me. Of course, there is also the fact that there are people in this city who need my help. So can you really ask me to leave?"

"…Suits yourself."

When the door closes behind the blonde, Hikari and Hibiki glances up at Seo with questioning looks, their heads filled with questions that demand answers. Seeing that they won't be answered without action, Hibiki takes the initiative. "Ano… what offer is he taking about?"

"What? Oh, he's talking about letting me move to his super mansion somewhere off on the coast of Japan. The guy is rich I tell you. He probably has so many cute servants around that he doesn't need to do a single chore." Seo says with a large grin, completely unaware of the vein that suddenly bulges on Hikari's head.

Said Sekirei decides to confirm her hearing and asks, rather sweetly, "So… we could be living in a luxurious mansion somewhere with lots of exquisite food and no worry of ever going hungry…?"

"Hmm? Of course, but then if I did, I wouldn't be meeting you two right?" Seo offers with a charming smile, this time oblivious to the strained smile on Hibiki's face.

Sekirei Number 12 decides to take up the baton and asks, "True, but if you did accept the offer this time, we would probably be out of here and living in a life that is only in fairy tales?"

"Why yes. In fact, if I did accept the offer, we wouldn't have to worry about MBI ever again! He has ways of avoiding them, and even the dogs of MBI can't go against him." The Ashikabi says in a cheerful tone and a large grin on his face. The grin falls off however when he feels the tale-tell sign of electricity gathering in the air. Cold sweat starts to gather as he feels his Sekireis tremble in rage and their hands balling into fists on his shirt. This can't be good…

"So… why did you refuse?" Hikari asks with such a sweet voice that Seo wonders if she has been secretly taking lessons from Miya. The only thing lacking is the demonic mask, and she'll be doing a perfect imitation of what Takehito and Miya can do to intimidate their friends.

In a last ditch effort to save his body from physical harm, Seo, in completely desperation, offers up a lame excuse. "Err… I didn't accept because I love this place a lot?"

"You love this apartment more than us?" The twin asks simultaneously, and the Ashikabi immediately knows that he has just screwed himself over. "Seo-kun, you **scum**…"

This really is not good at all…

In fact, this will hurt a lot…

**Bzzzz~~~!**

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto has to bites his lips to hold in his laughter as he listens to Seo's scream for mercy. No doubt he has revealed the nature of his offer, and if his information about Seo's life as an Ashikabi is correct, then his Sekireis Hikari and Hibiki are not pleased. Judging by the excess electricity shooting out of the window, angry would be an understatement.

Spotting his ride, a red convertible of unknown origin due to heavy modification, Naruto hops into the driver sits just as the passenger, who is wearing a hoodie with the hood up to cover her identity, turns to look at him. Offering a small smile, he guns up the engine and pulls onto the road that leads towards one of the exit for the capital. Letting the wind play with his hair a little, he turns half of his attention to his passenger and asks, "So Yomi-chan… is there anything you would like to do before we leave?"

The passenger, whom upon letting her hood fall to reveal Sekirei Number 43 Yomi with different eye colors due to contact, just shrugs her shoulder as she leans back into her chair. "I would say that I like to visit Mikogami-same… but that is not possible is it?"

"Not without revealing where you are, no." Naruto answers immediately with no hesitation. Deciding that he needs to offer some explanation, he starts, "I only have your-."

"I know, I know, you only have my safety in mind." Yomi interrupts, waving a hand to stop the reason behind it all. "I am thankful that you are concerned about my safety, but I still cannot fully trust you… You do after all have her saw me." The Sekirei mumbles out the last part as she stares at the passing scenarios, of couples walking happily down the street and the occasional Ashikabis with their Sekireis enjoying themselves as much as they can. She envy them, partially because they gets to walk freely around and partially because the Sekireis' other half actually pays attention to them as a person other than as but a chess piece that can be sacrificed to achieve the king's goal or some rare piece to a set of collection.

Now that she has time to think about it, Yomi finds herself questioning more often on why she even choose Mikogami Hayato in the first place.

For his mysterious charm? For his boyish look? For his outrageous amount of money? Well, it certainly isn't for his attitude or his personality…

"You sure there isn't anything you like to do before we leave the capital?" Naruto offers once more, turning his head just so that one of his cerulean blue eyes locks onto the sulking figure of Yomi. After a few seconds the blonde man is about to give up and the Sekirei answers.

"Ice cream…"

"Excuse me?"

"Can we… go for ice cream? There is this shop near the tower… I visit it as often as I can before I was winged by Mikogami-sama…" Yomi asks before explaining, suddenly very shy as she plays with the hem of her skirt. Carefully looking up, she sees the curiosity on Naruto's face and says, "I always liked ice cream… It is such a fascinating thing."

Naruto smiles at that and mentally make a note to stock as much ice cream as he can in his mansion before he says. "Ice cream it is…"

"…Just so you know, this is not a date." Yomi says harshly with a healthy blush on her face. Naruto only bursts into peals of laughter, making Yomi's blush grow.

It is so amusing…

XXXXXXXXXX

That night is a peaceful night. The streets are mostly deserted except for the main streets, and even then the people wondering it are scarce.

However, our attention isn't focused on those that wonders, but rather we turn out attention to one of the shadowed alley way. Rushed foot steps echo through the empty narrow corridors as their owners try to escape what is pursuing them.

There in lies the problem, they can't get away.

Sekirei Number 78 Nanami wonders what she did to piss of their pursuer or if it was something her Ashikabi did. Whichever the case, the situation is beyond despair. The Sekirei that is currently chasing after them is simply too much for her to handle. As much as she hates to admit it, this one is simply out of her league. The thought of being crush doesn't even do it justice to describe just how much out of league the mysterious Sekirei is.

Suddenly, their pursuer appearance in front of them and Nanami is sure that her fate is sealed as what seems like white veil shots toward her with the intention to maim, and Nanami knows from all the destruction wrecked by this Sekirei that it is possible. She tries to shield her Ashikabi with her own body, but the effort seems futile as he too equally tries to shield hers with his own. In the end, they just embrace each other and pray for some divine miracle to happen.

**Shiii~~!**

"What, YOU?!" The mysterious Sekirei yells out, and Nanami dares to open her eyes to peer at her rescuer. When she finds it, or rather her, Sekirei Number 78 wonders which is worst, the pursuer or the rescuer.

It is after all foolish if she does not recognize the uniform of the Disciplinary Squad.

"…Che." The mysterious Sekirei grunts out before she flies off in a wondrous flair of veils, and Nanami would have admire it if it wasn't trying to maim her not so long ago. Instead, she turns her attention to their rescuer, still wary and tense wondering why the Sekirei appears now of all time and at this particular moment.

Her answer comes in the form of excruciating pain before she enters a semi-trance like state. She can vaguely hear her Ashikabi's cry of pain as well. The Disciplinary Squad member looks at them with cold eyes before pulling out a phone and dialing a number. After a few seconds for it to connect, she simply says, "It is done… They are in an alley way near the shopping district… No, I will not give you further instruction." The call finished, the Sekirei slams onto the disconnect bottom before returning her attention back to the injured pair in front of her. Just as Nanami surrenders to the darkness calling to her, she hears one last sentence.

"…This is what love is? Foolish…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Hmm… this is weird chapter. I have no idea what I intent to do with this one… maybe some development upon Seo? It is only natural, given Naruto's relationship with Takehito and Miya, he is bound to know Seo from sometime. In truth, i won't even consider this an actualy chapter seeing that it isn't doing much with the plot... but i'll let you readers decide.

Either way, leave a review, tell me what you think. Again, suggestions and flames are welcome. Do not hold back. I can take anything you can dish out!!!

APH signing off!!

Edit: Did some more check... find a glaring mistake at the end. Can't forgive that. Fixed it up.


	4. The Connection We Share

To the reviewer known only as Reader: yes, I know that Takami and Minaka discovered the space ship and that she is practically the vice president of MBI… which is why I'm confused about you telling me those. So far, I have never once dispute their leadership within MBI, only inserting scenes of things that they are taking notice of due to the presence of Naruto. I only say that Miya lead Takehito into an unexplored part of the ship that people simply MISS and revealed something that changed many things (and to those who haven't figured it out yet, yes, it IS Takehito in the first chapter's first scene). As for Takami's knowledge about the Sekirei Plan, I believe she knows enough to keep a wary eye on it, but not enough to try and actively stop it. At least, that is the impression I gain from what was released. As for the quality of the second chapter, I'm sorry that you feel it dropped, but I'm taking it as a lesson to increase whatever I'm lacking. If it is drama, then I'm sorry to say that you can't always have a drama filled chapter. That would defeat the purpose of character development and what I like to call the 'clarification chapters' where I tell you the effects of certain events.

Disclaimer: I do not own the mangas as they belong to their respective creator. I do however lay claim to this plot line!!

XXXXXXXXXX

"_It's all about connection."_

"_Huh? Ero-sannin, what are you on about now? What about connections?"_

"_Stupid gaki, I'm trying to teach you the way of success here!"_

"_Hey, if it's anything perverted, I don't want a part of it!"_

"_YOU IDIOT! I'm serious!"_

"…_Fine… what about it?"_

"_Do you know how spy networks work?"_

"…_Err… don't you just go and talk to certain people?"_

"_No. If it is that simple, then nothing can be kept a secret or be learned. You see Naruto, it is all about connections. Connections can get you places that you usually weren't able to access, and it can get you things that you can't get by yourself. Connections can open doors when everything else is closed off to you, and it can even break a hole in a room with no exit."_

"…_How does it break a hole in the wall?"_

"_Idiot! That is a metaphor! Anyway, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupt me, life is all about connections…"_

XXXXXXXXXX

It is all about connections.

Connections open doors for you to other wise inaccessible places. It can get you information or object that are other wise not acquirable. It can save your lives or ruin it. It can make you rich or rob you broke. It can forever build you, or eternally break you. In a world where the resourceful gets by, connection is everything.

Or at least, that is what his mother has being pounding into Sahashi Minato's head ever since he started attending middle school.

"_Minato-kun, when you make friends, be sure to be aware of who you make friends with. Whatever you do now, connections will be formed, and they can be either good or bad. Whoever you associates with, a connection between you will form, and depending on the nature of it, it can help you a great deal or it can harm you mercilessly. So keep in mind that while you go and make friends, always be aware of just who you're making friends with."_

Well, that basically sums up what his mother has taught him about connections.

For example, Asama Miya, the landlady of Izumo Mansion is someone who you can depend on whole heartedly. She is competent and seemingly knows just what to do about everything despite her tendency to threaten people with that demonic mask.

A bad example… well, Kaoru Seo comes to mind, and Minato isn't quite sure if he should be thankful the man has yet to drag him into some brain-frying, life-threatening scheme, or be thankful that the man is well aware enough to keep them out of whatever it is that he is doing. The ronin isn't stupid; he knows that there is a reason why Seo couldn't hold his works, and it isn't because he is a scum as Miya so casually and lovingly calls him. However, all he knows is that it has something to do with the Sekirei Plan.

Now, how about an example of a connection that can destroy you?

'Mommy, I think I found one…' Minato thinks as he and Sekirei Number 09 hug each other tightly, not in a show of affection, but fear and sympathy as they face down a man whose presence equals that of a giant red fox with nine raging tails and red angry eyes. Actually, that is what he sees as he peers above the man's head.

Said man is only slightly taller than Seo, but Seo seems to have the better muscle. His wild blonde hair is long enough to shadow his eyes, but not enough to be pulled into small tails. His eyes though are currently glowing red and his lips twisted into a savage grin, showing a mouth full of teeth that looks rather sharp and are aimed solely at Tsukiumi.

Just how did this happen?

XXXXXXXXXX

**Not too long ago…**

It all started with a dream of the blonde woman who swore to kill him.

Then it goes to the little fiasco within Matsu's room.

Now here he is, walking with Kusano (who has a little pot of plant balanced on her head; how she does that Minato can only guess), on Operation: Kill or Be Kill?! The Big Love Heart Beats Sekirei Search Plan! Quite a mouthful, but coming from Matsu who doesn't seem to be… quite right in the head, it's a good enough name?

Either way, here he is, walking on the street with little Ku-chan as his body guard, searching for someone who can most likely tear him apart and most definitely has no prom about doing it. It isn't that he wants to doubt Ku-chan's ability, but rather he fears it won't be enough. Remembering what little information he can glint from Matsu without her trying to jump his pants, the single digits are unique in their own ways. Which then somehow makes him wonder why Matsu is a single digit, but then her ability with technologies is simply unreal.

Still, Minato is once more reminded that they are now in the Second Stage by the amount of MBI soldiers he sees on the street, meaning that if not careful, he can be attacked this very instance by another Ashikabi. It is inevitable that he needs to let his Sekireis fight eventually, but with only Musubi being a pure combat type, he rather not take his chance, let along pit Ku-chan against someone bigger and most likely stronger.

Anyway, beside all that… "Just where am I supposed to find her?" Minato asks nobody in particular as his shoulders slump in defeat. They have been at it for a couple of hours now, and is nowhere close to even seeing a glimpse of Tsukiumi. You would have thought that someone dressing in what she wears is easy to spot, but no! She is actually incredibly difficult to find. Hell, even with her picture on his phone and asking around now and then, no body even remotely see hair or hide of her. That outfit is difficult to forget, so when no one ever recalls seeing it… "Ku-chan, maybe we should just call it off?"

Kusano just gives him this look that eerily resembles those that his mother and sister gave him when they're disappointed. Seeing this, he holds up his hands and says, "Right, we'll just keep going. I'm sorry."

"…Onii-chan shouldn't give up so easy. It's not a good thing to give up." Kusano says in a show of innocent wisdom and then gives him a beaming smile, making her appear that much more adorable. It makes him smile, wondering just what he did to have someone like Kusano by his side.

**Beep-beep!** Ara? Who would call him at this moment?

"Hai?"

"**Mina-tan… this isn't the time to be playing around…"** Matsu's voice says from the other end of the phone, making a shiver travels up Minato's spine as he looks into the sky. Glaring at the satellite that he knows is watching him, he says, "You, stop spying on me!"

Oddly enough, Ku-chan is growling with a rather dark expression… or was that just his imagination?

"Well, if that is all that you requires, I'm hanging up." Minato says, slightly irritated as he ignores the pleas coming from his phone. He is just about to hang up as he promised when Matsu tells him to look up. Curiosity getting the better of him, he does just that, just in time to receive a face full of… fur? "What the?"

"Nya…"

A cat?

"Wah! Neko-chan!" Kusano squeal in delight as she gazes at the pure white cat that somehow landed on Minato's face. The ronin grabs hold of it and pulls it off, before holding it in a much more comfortable position and simply stare at it in confusion. Now what would a cat be doing here, let along dropping from the sky?

"**M-MINA-TAN!! STEP TO THE RIGHT NOW!"**

Eh?

Having no time to contemplate that strange instruction Minato follows it regardless and takes a step to the right… and successfully dodge a messy death as something yellow and orange smashes into the spot he was standing, cracking pavements as it lands. Yelping in alarm, the Ronin quickly gathers Kusano in one arm and the cat in another, he jumps back and takes in the appearance of the mysterious object. It turns out to be a man in an orange jumpsuit with black shoulder and black lines going down the leg. The man is blonde, and if he needs to compare his height, he would be slightly taller than Seo, but Seo will have the buffer muscle. There are three lines on the cheek as Minato sees, and he assumes that there are three identical lines on the other side as well. When the man turns to regard him, Minato is treated to a pair of blue eyes that is stunningly vivid, and really captivating. The Ronin will personally congratulate any girls that manage to grab this man's heart, but he will personally keep Yukari away from him if he can help it.

He spells trouble for some reason… Minato figures that it is the way he is glaring at the cat within his grasp? He is right on the money for that one.

"Hand it over…" The growl that escapes the man's lips startles Minato that he visibly jump as the mysterious person stands up straight, completely ignoring the damage he did to the pavement below him. There is a pressure on his shoulder, and the Ronin wonders why it is suddenly a little harder to breath. Kusano probably gets it harder because she is actually shaking and whimpering. The feline… let's leave the shaking mass of fur as just that for now. "Do not let me repeat myself. Hand that evil creature over so I may exorcize the devil that it is!"

"H-HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!" A familiar voice shouts, and within seconds, Seo appears within Minato's vision just in time to lands a punch on the blonde man's face, making him stumbles in surprise. It is mentally noted that he did not wince or flinch as one would normally do when struck. "YOU IDIOT!! THAT IF MY MEAL TICKET YOU WERE TRYING TO SKIN!! Hey kid, good… oh? Minato? Wow, fancy seeing you here. What are you doing here?" Seo asks while he gently pries the terrified cat from Minato's grasp and holds it under his arm –and making sure that it is the arm away from the blonde Minato notices.

The Ronin just smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. How do one Ashikabi tell another Ashikabi that he is out Sekirei hunting? Luckily, he is saved the trouble of answering by the blonde man. "Seo, come on, just a minute. All I need is one minute with that furred demon from hell and that is all! Just one short minute is all I'm asking you!"

Seo groans before turning around and decking the blonde once more in the same spot he did so before. Once more, Minato sees that he does not flinch or wince or even cuddle his cheek after ward. It's almost as if he is used to something of a far greater magnitude or Seo isn't punching hard enough. "I told you Naruto, this is my meal ticket. You already terrified it enough to probably traumatize it for life. Also… Oh, right, I never introduce you two." Seo says only to pauses mid sentence as he turns wide eyes to look at Minato. "Well kid, you're in luck today. This here is Uzumaki Naruto, and when you get in with him, you are guaranteed to have a friend for life. A very good friend who may I add will do just about anything for you as long as you ask… that includes fetching a cat for three straight days with me. And Naruto? This is Sahashi Minato, a good kid, but a little naïve if you ask me."

"Thanks Seo, but you're too kind." The blonde Naruto just grunts with an exasperated expression on his face. Minato wonders if he too thinks Seo is a scum like Miya, as it appears to be the common thing anyone who knows Seo share. Besides, he is a little annoyed at the naïve comment. "…You have three… and a fourth on the way."

"Huh? Excuse me?" Minato starts as he blinks at the blonde that is now looking at him with scrutinizing eyes. There is no warning, just the sudden inspection that leads the blonde making a circle around him before his blue eyes settle onto the curious and thus far ignored Kusano. A blonde eyebrow rises, and Minato suddenly feels the urge to defend his name from being called a pedophile… He can't help it. That expression reminds him of Miya when she took but one look at Ku-chan, and then turns this look upon him. "Err… I can explain?"

"Oh, it must be Matsu." Seo says with a grin, and Minato wonders how he knows. The man answers his unasked question with a thumb to his noise. "I have a good nose. Either way Naruto, he is a tenant at the Izumo House Naruto, and he's a really good guy, so don't do anything to him."

Having long since abandoned his accusing look, Naruto blinks before snorting in amusement. "…Hmph. Good luck to you kid." Naruto says, seemingly taking no notice of Seo's little piece of news before kneeling down in front of Kusano and asks, "Hey, who are you?"

"…I'm K-Kusano…" The small Sekirei blinks and then answers, shifting herself a little over a little so now that she is standing next to Minato with a hand holding onto his jean. The blonde girl hasn't forgotten the scariness that rivals the landlady's a moment before directed at the cat.

"Ku-chan is it? Is this guy here treating you well?"

"Of course! He's Ku-chan's onii-chan!" Kusano immediately replies with ferocity that startles Minato. Then again he shouldn't be surprised, because Kusano can pack quite the temper when she wants to. "Onii-chan is kind! Please don't say bad things about onii-chan!"

The blonde man just smiles before putting a hand on Kusano's head, ruffling her hair with a small chuckle at the whine produced by the Sekirei. His eyes have this warmth in them that is reserved for someone precious, and Minato cannot understand how someone who only just met can come to care for another immediately. That look hints at previous meeting that Kusano has no recollection of, making Minato slightly jealous, much to his surprise. "It's alright. I won't hurt your onii-chan. I promise."

"SEO!!!"

Huh? Where have he heard those voices before? Oh right, Hikari and Hibiki!

"Seo, we have to go, now!" Hikari says as she drops down in front of them with her twin sister, who gives Naruto a small bow before she joins her effort in pushing Seo away from the immediately area. It confuses Minato as to why they want to do that… Did they go and pick a fight with an unwinged Sekirei again?

"Seo, please, listen to us. We ran into a really bad woman!" Hibiki says in a much softer tone, but just as pleading as her sister's as the two double their efforts in making Seo leave. The man in return fires off questions about why they have to leave, but does not resist their effort. Much more curious about their behavior than Naruto's sudden show of affection and the possibilities behind it, Minato decides to follow, but not before making sure that Kusano is alright and guiding her with him. Naruto too decides to follow the trio in front of them, but Minato suspects it has more to do with the cat not escaping than anything else. Uzumaki Naruto just strikes him as someone who doesn't care about the Sekirei Plan; he being out of the circle is out of the question the moment he mentioned how many Sekireis Minato has.

Just how does he know anyway?

"You are one special kid…" Naruto suddenly says, bringing Minato's attention to him, the above mentioned question already forgotten as dark blue meets a lighter blue. The Ronin opens his mouth to response in a question only to be cut off as Naruto continues. "You have three Sekireis with a fourth one reacting to you and the previous three loves you dearly and willingly takes you as their Ashikabi. It is no mistake that their body reacting to you is a form of love so deep that it isn't breakable. Even if the crest disappears, they will always return to you when all this is said and done. It is truly amazing that someone like you can have these many Sekireis without ever forcefully winging one."

Somehow, Minato isn't sure if he should feel praised or angered by his comment of 'someone like you.' Instead, he just says, "Um… Naruto-san, I don't understand…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. Just treat them well; especially Musubi. Karasuba is really fond of her. You do not want her coming after you." Naruto says with a grin that puts Minato in an alarming state and at the same time oddly reminds him of a mischievous fox. He had met Karasuba, and his first impression of her is that you simply do not want to be near her. How Musubi can be close to someone like that is beyond him. Oh sure she show warmth to Sekirei Number 88, but Musubi is the only one she show any form of warmth too. He can tell, because the moment Musubi isn't looking, Minato received the glare of death from her. This however highlights the question of whether this person is the Ashikabi of that strange Sekirei. He seems to know a lot about the Sekirei Plans and how Sekireis operates.

"I won't treat them badly if that is what you're worrying about. I care for all of them very much." Minato says with confidence that he thought he doesn't have a few weeks ago. But now he can easily say that he is much more confident with himself. Maybe it's the side affect of being thrust into something that is beyond him or having the responsibility of three Sekireis thrust upon him. Whichever the case, it brings a smile onto his face. "I can safely say and with one hundred percent guarantee that I will take care of them the best way I can."

In later years, Minato will look back to this day and wonder if this is the point where he starts to be more active within the Sekirei Plan.

"I'll… hold you to that…"

"Onii-chan?" Kusano tugs on Minato's jeans a little, confused about the interaction that has just taken place. It has completely gone over her head it appears, and while Minato understands that Ku-chan is much more matured than kids her age, she is still a kid. "What are you two talking about?"

Minato smiles while ruffling Kusano's hair lovingly. The girl chirps happily, completely forgotten what she was asking as she leans into his touch. It really should come as a sort of unspoken rule to treat them well.

"HEY YOU, THE DAMN MONKEY OVER THERE!!! YOU'RE INTERFERING, SO GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" An angry and definitely female voice shouts from above him, and having a feeling who it is and what is about to happen, Minato gently pushes Kusano into Naruto's arms before looking up. His suspicions is confirmed when in a blur of black and white, a blonde woman crashes into him, sending them both into a reunion with the cold, hard cement ground. It brings about the feeling of déjà vu. Off to the side, Minato observes Naruto withholding laughter and Kusano looking at the blonde with a guarded expression. Now to be completely sure…

Looking up, Minato treats himself to the beauty that is Sekirei Number 09, Tsukiumi as she grunts in pain and pushes herself up. Dressed in a designer black coat with white dress underneath that seemingly draws attention to her bosoms and a short, white skirt, black knee-high stockings with two brown strap/belts circling her thigh and holding up the stockings, Tsukiumi is indeed a sight to behold. She has a quality about her that makes her fierce and dangerous, but passes the thorns Minato can easily see the girl within. In a way, she is similar to Yukari, minus her playful nature and tones up her brutality.

When Tsukiumi stands up to her full height, she plants her hands on her hips and glare down at him with deep blue eyes. Her lips and brows are in a frown as she says, "You… monkey! Even though I TOLD you that you're inter-!" The Sekirei suddenly cuts herself off, a blush blowing up on her face and she once more drops onto her hands and knees. The Ronin have no doubts what is happening, seeing a reaction similar to this in Musubi when she reacted to him; although this is much more severe for some reason.

"Ah… I'm s-sorry?" Minato finds himself apologizing for reason even beyond him. Maybe it is his personality and old habits acting up once more. Besides, his mother always told him to apologize for things, even if it isn't his fault as to avoid troubles.

"You… bastard…" Tsukiumi growls, tossing the apology aside as if it is nothing more than a crumbled piece of used napkin, and in some way, Minato finds that it may as well be. Once more drawing up to her full height (almost his height the Ronin observes), the Sekirei now regards him with a blank expression. "You're my…"

Okay, this is the moment of truth. The name of the operation once more pops into Minato's mind, and so far, it seems rather fitting. Here is a Sekirei famous (or infamous depending on how you view it) for wanting to kill her Ashikabi for one reason or another. What he says in the next second can literally decides if he lives or dies…

If he is given the choice of retaking the Tokyo Uni. Entrance Exam over this, he will do so in a heart beat.

"Err… We… well I've… wanted to meet you." Minato says with a small stutter, carefully studying Tsukiumi's blank expression for any sign telling him if he should run or stay. So far, nothing indicates the former, but nothing says the latter either.

Silence dominates for five seconds, and then she starts to chuckles, and then the chuckle turns from neutral to hostile within the spam of another five seconds. Now it is clearly a sign for him to run, but he can't for some reason. He will tell you that it is the unholy aura that now surrounds the woman scaring him into inaction, but it's really the stares from Kusano, Seo, the Sekirei Twins, AND Naruto that is forcing him to stay. He is a man damn it! He will take it like a man!

"Me too…! I've wanted to meet you for a while now…" Tsukiumi says in a sultry voice that belies the growing grin upon her face. As the grin grows, Minato's mantra of 'I'll take it like a man' grows faster and faster and he visibly starts shaking. The Sekirei is really, really scary at this very moment. "We meet here under such circumstances, but it'll be a lie if I say that it is nice to see you because I'll tear you apart before you even have a chance to put your hands on me!" The last part is said with a fierce grin as water gathers and swirl around her. Minato actually lets out a whimper at this point as he slowly crab-walks backward out of the water raging around the Sekirei, which grows with each passing second. It is just like his dream… Right, time to abandon ship!

…Whatever happens to being a man?

Oh screw it, where's the nearest safe house?

…They do have safe houses… right?

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto watches with open amusement as Minato's every thought are displayed clearly on his face. The blonde man inwardly chuckles as he watches Tsukiumi terrifies the poor boy that isn't even in college and most likely a virgin. When Kusano tears out of his hold and quickly puts herself between him and the raging Water Sekirei while saying not to hurt her onii-chan, Naruto's amusement only grow. She has only made the situation worst.

"You… Don't tell me you… actually winged such a young girl!!" Tsukiumi shouts as she cringes at the idea of such criminal acts. Naruto would have too if he isn't aware of the fact that it is Kusano who winged herself by kissing Minato. How does he come about this information? Let's just say Miya is just like any other house wives: she loves to gossips when she can and leave it at that. "YOU! SUCH DIRTY, FILTHY BEAST! I'LL OBLITERATE YOU!!!"

"W-WAIT!! I CAN EXPLAIN!!" Minato shouts as he waves his arms frantically, trying to diffuse a bomb that is already set to go off. It obviously didn't work as Tsukiumi just charges up an attack and is near seconds from completion.

Not wanting the death of someone like Minato on his conscience, Naruto sends a look at Hikari and Hibiki, snapping them out of their bewildered stares and into action. The two quickly jumps in to interfere with the potential murder. Well, not really jumping in, but they did stopped it by restarting their fight not so long ago. Now that he thinks about it, why does Seo lets his Sekireis hunt for unwinged ones if he isn't going to wing them?

"Hah? I have to be involved?" The annoyed voice of Seo snaps Naruto out of his thoughts as he turns his attention to the Ashikabi (who still holds the demon known as the cat within his right arm). Seeing the looks sent form his Sekireis, Seo scratches his head with his free hand and gives Naruto a shrug. Not in the least bit hindered at the delay in turning over the cat, Naruto responds with a shrug of his own, giving Seo the green light. The man just smirks at this before somehow pulling Hikari and Hibiki close, the cat still clutched in his arms. Now that, that is skills and Naruto has to give him points for. Not many can do that. "Well, you might want to cover the kid's eyes."

Then he goes in for the kisses, and Naruto watches once more with fascination as wings of light appear behind first Hikari and Hibiki. Oh sure he may know more about the Sekireis than anyone else in this world, but this phenomenon still captivate him with its beauty. Remembering that the place is about to be damaged, he takes a step back as he watches the electricity building up around the twins. 'This will be good.' Naruto thinks to himself as he awaits the power of the Norito to be unleashed. He is truly curious on how well an unwinged single number can deal with the Norito. It will give him a better understanding of the single digits' power as he already have a pretty good grasps of those of the First Generation Disciplinary Squad.

"We're the pledged thunderclap. No disaster will hit our Ashikabi." Hikari and Hibiki simultaneously chant while grasping each other's hand, their free hand pointed at Tsukiumi with fingers spread and palm exposed. Naruto isn't disappointed as electricity builds up in the atmosphere, sucking up the light as purple lightning jumps from the skin of the twin Sekireis. With a cry of the name of the attack: Kaminari, devastation in the form of multiple thunders strike the ground in an ever expanding line, heading clearly for Tsukiumi who seemingly froze upon the awesome might of the destructive attack.

Then Minato moves, taking Naruto's attention as well as Seo's as he dives and pushes Tsukiumi down to the ground with him, putting his body above hers in a stupid attempt to shield her. The twin Sekireis grit their teeth and with much efforts divert the attack from hitting them, not wanting to harm Minato as they clearly know the consequences should they do so. Off to the side, Naruto turns an eye upon Kusano, checking her for any injuries that she may sustain from the massive attack. Satisfied with not finding any, the blonde turns his attention back to where the attack land, and can't help but let's out a whistle of appreciation. With several feet of cement, concrete and dirt vaporized by the lightning, the attack can truly kill people unfortunately enough to get caught up in it. It appears the twins' Norito amplifies their damage output.

Then it is really a good thing that the twins have managed to maneuver them into an open area that is deserted of people.

A small conversation engages by the duo sitting on the only piece of land that is intact, but Naruto is not interested in that. He will give them their privacy and instead turns to Seo, wanting to leave now that the situation seemingly has solved itself.

That is where he is wrong.

When Hikari and Hibiki opens their mouth and taunts Tsukiumi, the Water Sekirei retaliates with a small water attack that the twins easily dodge, but striking Seo in return. Surprised, the man looses his grip on the cat, which then happily bounds away, but not before giving them a taunting meow.

…The work that he has done for the past three days… gone just like that…

Just like that…

The fact that the cat has manage to evade him for three days despite his skill, HIM, Uzumaki Naruto, further pisses him off…

Ooh, someone will pay…

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsukiumi grunts in annoyance from her sitting position, and is about to pushes herself up when the other Ashikabi approaches her with anger clearly displayed upon his face. Eying the man, she is about to discard him from being a threat when he speaks. "Do you have any idea at all how much time I spend going after that cat?" The man asks with gritted teeth, hands clenched in fists as he towers over Tsukiumi, making her wonder if it is such a smart thing to disregard him as a threat. Ashikabi should always be a threat to her, especially her being unwinged and all that. But what can a human do to her?

"Three whole days… I spend three whole days chasing that damn cat…" Bending down, he grasps Tsukiumi's chin with an iron grip, surprising the Sekirei with the strength behind it. She tries to move, but oddly enough, she finds her strength fading with each second. What is happening? "Why did you do that? Huh?"

No good. She needs to get away from him. But she can't move!

Obviously the Ashikabi must have seen it too as his displeasure turns into malevolent intention and he smirks, bending down further and near whispers to her, "It's useless. My power as an Ashikabi is… unique you see. It is recognized by Takehito, and it is quite special."

She is vaguely aware of her intended Ashikabi fidgeting on the side and making voices that doesn't amount to anything. She is vaguely aware of the little Sekirei that came with her intended Ashikabi somewhere outside of the crater, looking at them with wide eyes, confusion clearly on her face. None of that matters to her. What matters is getting away from the man whose smirk grows as he says, "Well, guess what? As repayment, I'll wing you right here, right now. I'll make you my servant. How about it? Huh?"

No good. This can't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. This man is not her… not her…

Tsukiumi tenses as the man lowers his face to hers, and cold sweat starts to build up on her body as she trembles at the thought of being winged by the likes of him. She prays for something, anything to happen in order to interrupt this.

Her prayer is answered, but the result is not to her liking.

"Seo… **move**." A voice says from behind the man, and then a hand grabs hold of the Ashikabi named Seo by his shoulder before effortlessly tosses him away as if he is but a stuffed animal. Feeling her power return from the removal of the Ashikabi's touch, Tsukiumi starts to sigh in relief only for that breath to freeze in her throat.

Whatever she prayed for, it certainly is not switching a scum of a human for a blonde demon.

And a blonde demon she is facing, with wide eyes that glows red and a smile so wide and savage, the blonde that has been standing in the side line appears before her with clear intention of harm. What did she do to piss this one off?

"Do you have… any **idea** just how much **time** I spend trying to **catch** that cat…?" The blonde asks as he copies the action of Seo from before, grasping her chin in something that is more like titanium grip and continues, "Why, oh why did you do that? Why?"

'Oh, you have got to be kidding me!' Tsukiumi mentally screams as she slowly backs away from the man that makes Seo looks like a small fry. Oddly enough, the light behind him dims while the background disappears, being replaced by a towering, snaring red fox with nine swirling tails and the cruelest crimson eyes Tsukiumi has the misfortune of seeing. Yelping, the Sekirei jumps into her intended Ashikabi's arms, putting her arms around him while trying to make her as small as she can be against him. She doesn't even care about that fact that he is touching her, or her body is burning up when he puts his arms around her waist in an embrace. None of that matters. All that matters is getting away from the monstrosity that is in front of her.

If it is another time and it is happening to another person, Tsukiumi would wonder just why loosing the cat would ticks the blonde before her off to this extends and might even find it funny if not pitying the poor victim of his wrath. Too bad it isn't, so she could only trembles in what resembles despair and awaits judgment.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thus this is how Minato finds himself wondering if he has indeed found that one connection that can obliterates him. With a trembling Tsukiumi in his arms, he offers a disarming but clearly nervous smile to the raging disaster before him and asks, "Ano… Naruto-san… I'm sorry about the cat, but could you please calm down? You're scaring my Sekirei."

"**Move aside kid, before I move you…**"

Well that doesn't work, and Minato's brain goes into overdrive to come up with something to appease the blonde when another blonde appears in front of him. It is little Ku-chan, and she is standing in front of him as she stare down Naruto with either amazing amount of courage or desperation to save him from harm. Whichever the case, Kusano shouts out, "DON'T HURT MY ONII-CHAN!" and attacks as the potted plant within her grasps grows with amazing speed, groaning and moaning as it goes from a two-leaved sprout to a giant bean stalk that twists and winds around the area, effectively trapping Naruto within its snarl. "Mister promised that he won't hurt onii-chan!"

After that, the oppressive pressure disappears as the raving demon in front of them blinks and transform once more into the blonde that is simply Naruto. His now cerulean blue eyes stare into Kusano's green ones before he closes them with a sigh. Amazing really how Kusano can calm him like that. Of course, Minato's worries sprang back up when Ku-chan lets go of the potted plant (that can now holds itself in the air due to all the stalks that fill the street Minato muses) and walks up to Naruto. A particular stalk groans as it shifts itself to create a slope for Kusano to walks up so that she can stares into Naruto's eyes more easily. Despite his weak protest and warning for her to stop, the Sekirei continues to walk until she eventually is eye leveled with Naruto. What she says next will remain with Minato till the day he dies.

"Please don't hurt my onii-chan. Ku-chan loves him very much and will be sad if he is hurt. If you want to punish anyone, punish Ku-chan instead. Ku-chan didn't stop the fighting before mister's cat got away. Ku-chan is sorry."

It also raises the respect Naruto has for Kusano, though the others do not know that.

Minato stares in amazement at the girl that has offered herself to repent for something that isn't her fault. He lets go of Tsukiumi so that he may go to her. Before he can reach Kusano, Minato watches in horror as the stalks that restrict Naruto be sliced open by some invisible force, falling into pieces in large chunks as the blonde uses the remaining pieces as foot hold. The two blondes stare at each other for a moment before Naruto reaches out with a hand. Horrified at what he might do, Minato shouts for him to stop and starts to run towards Kusano.

Kusano too closes her eyes as she braces herself, shoving the awe she has over the fact that the man can slice her plants apart so easily with nothing but air away. She tenses as the hands near her, only to jumps as it lands on her head. Instead of pain, she feels oddly comfortable as the hand runs through her messy hair in gentle caresses. Daring to peeks open one eye, she watches as Naruto smiles softly at her and says, "I'm sorry for scaring you. I was anger, but I shouldn't be. I can always capture that cat again. I also promised I won't hurt your onii-chan, and I don't go back on my words." His words are rewarded with a beaming smile from the Green Sekirei, who then squeals in surprise and delight as Minato suddenly gathers her in his arms and pulls her away.

"Y-you, don't touch her!"

"Onii-chan, it's alright. Mister isn't angry anymore." Kusano says, patting Minato's arms in a reassuring way. Minato looks at Ku-chan for a moment before turning guarded eyes to Naruto. "It's really alright onii-chan. Mister is a good guy. He was just angry. But Ku-chan makes him not angry anymore!" Staring down at Kusano as the girl beams proudly, Minato wonders if the girl has a soothing effect other than making plants grow uncontrollably. Shoving that aside, Minato once more turns his attention to Naruto, who is… no where insight?

Looking around, he turns to Tsukiumi, only to yelps in panic as he sees Naruto standing in front of her. How he moves so fast, he isn't sure, and while he trusts Kusano's words, he rather not takes any risk. "N-Naruto-san, please don't hurt my Sekirei!"

Naruto just turns his head to him and looks him in the eyes, smiles, and then turns back to Tsukiumi and instantly pulls her to her feet. His speed amazes him, because Minato certainly did not see him bends down to do so. Still, the Ronin watches the man says something to Tsukiumi, whose wide eyes that were filled with horror turns to surprise before understanding. Her blue eyes then turn to meet his as the man pats her shoulder in a gentle gesture and simply walks away, leaving the area and vanishing around the corner.

Not sure exactly what was said to her, Minato can only worries about Tsukiumi as he walks towards her and asks, "Hey, are you alright? He didn't do anything to you did he? You're not hurt right?"

After several questions fired in rapid succession, Minato is about to stop so that she may answers when she smiles softly and says, "He was right… you're very kind…"

"Huh?"

"You protected me even though I was going to kill you. You tried to shield me from an attack that wouldn't kill me, but definitely would cook you alive… That is clear indication that you have guts." Tsukiumi says as she walks towards him and stops only four feet from him. Minato smiles nervously, wondering if she is going to attack again. His eyes focus on the arm that rises, only to blinks as it rest on the spot where her heart is. "Strange… my heart that was once full of detests is very calm and content… What is your name?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Minato answers quickly and truthfully, but with a stutter. "M-Minato. Sahashi Minato… desu."

"Minato…" The whisper that forms his name sends a shiver down his spine, and he wonders if it is because he is too reacting to Tsukiumi or it is something else. It is very enticing.

He should say something… "W-Well… I want… um, I wish to be good friends with you. I… don't know many things about you other than your name, but… In the dream… I met you in my dream, and for sure, that means that I can understand you." He says sincerely, offering nothing but the truth in his own clumsy way as he scratches the back of his head, but never once taking his eyes from Tsukiumi's own. The slight widening of her eyes make him somewhat proud of himself, but he quickly stump that down as he waits for her answer.

Once more, what happens next will determine his fate…

"What a strange man, but very kind." Tsukiumi whispers, loud enough for him to hear but nobody else. Her eyes soften as she gazes at him for a moment before looking up at the sky. A happy smile appears on her face as she says, "I'm probably… looking for someone like you all this time… Alright then!" Tsukiumi suddenly shouts and quickly makes eye contact once more, making Minato jumps as she stands up straight and plants one fist on her hips and then points the other hand at him. "I, Tsukiumi, Sekirei Number 09 the Water Sekirei accepts your proposal!"

…What?

So focused on this, Minato and Kusano never notice the disappearance of Seo and the twin Sekireis.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Do you have to throw me that hard?"

"Well… sorry. I really was ticked back there."

"Oh, I can understand. But really, if it weren't for Hikari and Hibiki, I would probably be a pretty stain on her wall!"

"Yeah, Naruto-san, must you be so brutal?"

"My sister is right Naruto-san. While Seo may be resilient, he isn't invulnerable."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Don't need to gang up on me. Sheesh, I'll make it up to you, happy?"

"Oh yes, very much so. In fact, I know just how you're going to do that…"

"Does it involve Miya and food?"

"Oh my, you read my mind."

"…You do know that she won't be happy?"

"Of course I do. But with you there with me, she won't do anything!"

"…Fine."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Minato returns to a surprised and slightly worried Miya, he quickly tries to diffuse any misconception she may have jump to. She is known for doing so, and he has no intension of drawing her wrath. One demon a day is enough as it is (and Naruto certainly qualifies as a demon when angered). An incident almost breaks out when Tsukiumi announces herself as his wife, and Musubi and Kusano respond to it in jealousy (the former doing so in her own naïve, scattered brained way while the latter doing so clearly understanding what she is doing). The landlady quickly puts an end to it before any fighting occurs by using her infamous demonic visage to further drive home the point that she will not tolerates any and all forms of violence. He wisely keeps his tongue from informing her that what she does can be considered as an act of violence.

Seeing that it is about dinner time when they returned, Miya quickly usher them into the dinning room. Without any reason to not do so, Minato and his Sekireis travel into the Inn, meeting Matsu and Kagari, before departing once more for the dinning room. Tsukiumi has mistaken Kagari for someone else, but that is quickly solved as some misunderstanding due to striking resemblance.

However, when they enter the dinning room…

"Yo!" Seo calls out happily while sitting next to him, Naruto chews on a piece of fish quietly. Hikari and Hibiki are also enjoying a bowl of miso soup of their own. Seeing this, Minato face faults before picking himself up and turning to Miya for an explanation, his shaking finger moving from one person to the next. The questions of when, why, how continue to repeat within his mind and flooding out of his mouth. It is rather comical to see Minato imitates a fish out of the water perfectly while gurgling out words. "Kid, stop that. I deserve to be here today."

"Oh, of course you do, scum. If it isn't because of Naruto-san, I would toss you out immediately." Miya responds to that with sarcasm and her usual sweet tone as well as the demonic visage. Seo quickly agrees while Hikari and Hibiki launch into one of their apology rants as Minato starts to dub it. Naruto just sighs before popping a chopstick-full of rice into his mouth and chew. It amazes Minato how he is completely unaffected by Miya's Hannya mode. He wonders who would win if the two goes demon mode on each other.

"Miya, just think of it as doing me a favor; I'll repay you somehow. I do own Seo an apology." Naruto says after he swallows his mouthful, ignoring the indignant shout from Seo about almost killing him by tossing him to a wall. Minato notes that he sounds just as annoyed as Miya. It seems Seo's reputation really isn't all that good.

Just then, Minato recalls that Matsu is oddly fidgety when he met her in the hallway. Was it due to Seo or Naruto?

"Hey, Miya, I thought you have another tenant." Naruto questions, his face oddly resembling that of a fox as he squints his eyes at the landlady. Miya blinks and shakes her head in the affirmative, thus prompting Naruto asks the question, "Where is she? I'd met everyone in this Inn already, but I clearly notice that you're missing one person."

"Uzume is… unavailable at the moment." Miya says with a small smile that that seemingly hides something behind it. Minato isn't sure what, but whatever it is, it isn't his business to pry. "Would you…?"

"Yeah, I am already on it… More please." Naruto says to Miya's unfinished question before holding up his now empty bowl to her. The landlady just sighs, but she takes the bowl either way and fills it with more rice from the pot next to the table. Her willingness to do so for Naruto isn't lost on everyone, and Sahashi Minato wonders if he is missing something much larger than him here. "So, other than that, is there anything I can do for you while I'm here?"

"Oh! No, no, I couldn't possibly burden you with more." Miya says as she settles herself on the open space next to Naruto with grace. Motioning the others in, the landlady picks up her share of dinner and starts eating. Minato takes in the questioning look send by Naruto and the reassuring smile from Miya and files it away for future reference before he too settles down for dinner and a minor incident about who gets to sit next to him from his Sekireis.

Matsu comes in not too long later followed by Kagari, and soon the entire dining room is filled with chatter. There are several things that Minato takes in however that makes him very curious despite knowing that curiosity kills the cat.

First, Matsu is deliberately avoiding Naruto's gaze. It confirms his theory about her wanting to avoid Naruto for some reason that he can't fathom.

Second, Kagari is wincing every once in a while. Minato mentally questions if it is due to some lingering affect of his burn a while ago or something else.

Third, Miya and Naruto are having a conversation in a way that resembles a daughter talking to her father about her life. The closeness between the two is that of a father and daughter that shares just about anything between them, which baffles and intrigue Minato to no ends.

And finally, the one point that stands out against everything else, Uzume never shows up for dinner… He hopes that she is alright.

Of course, it also makes him wonder about the connections between everybody in the mystery that is Izumo Mansion.

XXXXXXXXXX

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! SO WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE?!"

"…I'm sorry…"

"DAMN YOU!! GIVE ME BACK MY SEKIREI!! GIVE HER BACK!!"

"…I'm really sorry… please don't make this any harder than it already is…"

"Sorry? SORRY? SORRY DOESN'T BRING HER BACK YOU FREAKING MONSTER! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAKING IT HARDER THAN IT ALREADY IS? THERE IS NO WAY A MONSTER LIKE YOU CAN –**Thud-** GAH! Y-you…"

"…I'm truly, deeply am sorry… Please sleep for a while."

XXXXXXXXXX

Something… stinks about this chapter. In fact, I encourage you to come out and say that it sucks. I don't know why, but I have a difficult time doing this one. I rewrite the thing at least three times, and even then, it still doesn't quite make what I deemed as satisfaction… but I truly cannot make it any better than what it already is. I sincerely apology for this, and hopefully the next one will come at a much faster pace and of higher quality.

Either way, a chapter that reveals something about the working of Sahashi Minato. I know that he is innocent and naïve at points, but I refuse to make him as idiotic as the manga portrays him. He is intelligent as Matsu later proves and he has an analytic mind as required to ace the test Matsu gave him (really, things like math and physic need a mind that can pick it apart and put it back together piece by piece, and I won't put it past the Tokyo Uni. Entrance exam to have plenty of that). So there is the reason why I make Minato the way he is. Don't like it? Too bad. This is one of those things that I won't change no matter what.

With that all said and done, I hope you still like this chapter despite my own misgiving over it. If it sucks, come out and tell me, and I will try to make it up with future chapters. Other wise, hope you enjoy it and do leave a review to tell me what you think.

APH signing off!

PS: Do you think I should move the rating to M? Or is the rating it has now alright with you? Just keep in mind that M gives me more freedom while T lets me challenge my own writing skill.


	5. Unexpected Turn Part 1

Thank to all your reviews, I know what feels stinky about the last chapter. As most of you already noticed, the conversations really do suck. Also as a short of the general concession, I need to turn the humor up a little… I think. That and I think I'll stick to T for now. I may move to M as I go deeper. To those that are extremely curious about who was with Naruto in chapter 2… it will be revealed, and you will either kick my ass or love me haha.

As for that little thing with Jiraiya… Yeah… hmm… umm…. I think I will hide now…

My answer to the reviewer known only as Reader: first off, thank you very much for the constructive criticism. I need something like that to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Yes, I mentioned that the only time Takami ever seen Naruto is that one time with Takehito and then the other time with them and Miya leaving. You made a valid point in that she is not someone to ignore someone like Naruto, who is familiar to Takehito AND Miya. That long should make her very wary. As for the scene, yeah, it may be sloppy, and I may do a rewrite on that later, but for now, please bear with it for now. As to Naruto suddenly appear rich… I never said he is rich. I said he is in possession of a mansion on an uncharted island. Like you said, he is capable, and you have to consider the possibility that he is beyond his years and learned more than just ninja crafts. An abundance of time can make people either spend it idiotically, or make it productive. Do you think Uzumaki Naruto would spend extra time doing nothing? Besides, he did publish the legacy of his godfather. As for him not doing anything that changes the canon time line as you implies… well, I can't say there are changes, but you can't exactly expect much to occur at the start. Rushing it only ruins a story after all. Don't worry; things will start to change. As to why he doesn't do anything else about the Plan… I never say he knows everything. I said he probably knows more about Sekireis than anyone, nothing about the Plan itself… and then there is the keyword: probably. I never confirm anything XD. Know this, only Minaka knows the entirety of the Plan, and I really doubt he lets Takami in on it, because she never tries to stop him other than from doing something really stupid to the Sekireis. If I miss anything, feel free to PM me (assuming you have an account of course…) or drop me an e-mail. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

There is one thing that does stand out. Well it does not appear to be so; Naruto is in fact mentally unstable. Bipolar if you will. He is old (as implied by him being on the spaceship to begin with), and age does things to the mind. The word senile is there for a reason, and if not senile, then at least have some screw loose. It will be more apparent later. This is a guy who is very good a hiding things, so really, there is no reason why he can't hide that either.

Either way, I hope I addressed all issues mentioned in the reviews. If not, drop me a PM or e-mail or even rant at me with another review. Whichever the case it is, thank you all for your support so far. I hope that I do not let you all down.

Oh… and me having low self esteem? More like a thrice damned perfectionist when it comes to fictions. Maybe I do have low self esteem, but really, I only do to the best of my ability.

Now, one final important fact that may help save some time: **DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING IN THE FICTION!!! Assumption makes a fool out of you and me.**

Disclaimer: Well, I do not own the respective manga for they belong to their respective creators. I do own this plot, and I'll be damned if someone copy it. Inspired, sure, but no copying…

XXXXXXXXXX

**Era of the First Generation Disciplinary Squad…**

"Come on… just one smile." Naruto says as he leans a little too close to Karasuba, who's sitting position makes it rather hard for her to lean away especially considering she is already pressing herself against the back of the chair. However much to the Sekirei's annoyance, the blonde man refuses to leave her along no matter what she said.

Especially when she already told him many times, and continues to do so, "I am smiling. Why are you insisting that I am not?"

"But that one is so… edgy and tense." The blonde man pouts, making Karasuba's left eyebrow twitch once while her light hazel eyes lock with cerulean ones. Her lips, which currently are stretched in a smile quirks a little at that. Her smile is edgy and tense? "I mean, I never seen you genuinely smile at all!"

"Oh?" That makes a fine eyebrow raises as its owner's own amusement rise. "A genuine smile you say? I see no reason to grant you one at all."

"That's not what I mean. I mean to say-."

"Naruto-san, it would be pointless to continue." Miya says calmly off to the side, slowly sipping a cut of tea as besides her Takehito fiddle with some monitor. When one spares another glance, they would see various wires hooked upon her from her right hand index finger to a bang on her wrist to a choker on her neck and even a small plastic pad stuck to her forehead with some organic clue. Taking another sip of tea, Miya turns one scathing look to Number 04 and says, "Besides, she is but a savage dog. What could you hope to gain from her?"

Karasuba returns a leer at her. Takehito just shakes his head at that before going back to fiddling with something that likely only he understands. Naruto has tried, but he failed miserably. Besides… why bother looking at it?

"Maa, why can't we all just get along?" Naruto asks, turning his head this way and that between the two members that are more than likely to tear each other apart than to kiss and make up. Shaking hands even seem out of the question for these two. Just why they are at each other throat, no one can answer, not even the participant knows for sure. It's just that the two never get along.

Takehito did make some comment about how it only got worst with Naruto's appearance, but that's probably just coincidence.

Naruto's question is answered by two identical blank looks from two directions and a "you're stupid" look from Takehito. The blonde flicks the scientist off (while ignoring how Miya twitched at it) and turns back to his victim of harassment with a grin. "You sure you can't give me one smile? Just one small one is fine. I mean, I'm sure you have a pretty good smile."

"A dog doesn't smile. They bark and they bite, and sometimes they bite the hand that feeds them. They do not smile." Miya grounds out from behind her tea cup and Naruto can tell the amount of hostility behind it. He turns around to answer that when Karasuba speaks.

"And a death goddess knows nothing about how to live, only to destroy and take life. So what makes you different from, say a beast?" The Black Sekirei fires back then grins savagely when Miya jumps off the examination table she was using with an uncharacteristic sneer on her usually calm face. "Yara, yara, did I hit a nerve?"

"You unsavory, dirty, filthy-!"

"Finish that sentence… I dare you." Naruto's cold voice suddenly cuts through the air, freezing Miya mid sentence as wine colored eyes darts to the blonde, wide and confused about his sudden anger. Slowly closing her mouth, Miya sits back onto the table, but not before shooting a glare at Karasuba. The Sekirei is about to smile in triumph when Naruto turns his cold anger upon her, freezing her from further action just as it did with Miya, though with a higher degree of effectiveness for some reason. "You, do not provoke her. I will put you both over my knees and spank you two silly if I have to. I do not care what you two do in your spare time, but behave when you're in my presence… got it?"

"Hai." The two chorus as one as Karasuba settles back into her chair, her usual smile long gone as she gazes up at the blonde man that so easily control two of the most powerful entity on this planet. It stirs at something within her, though what, she does not know.

"You have a way with girls, you know that?" Takehito jokes as he taps some more on the monitor he was working on before nodding to himself in satisfaction. "All green. You are in perfect health Miya." Seeing her nod and starting to pull off the various wires on her, the scientist turns his attention back to Naruto. "As for you… what are you doing in here to being with?"

"What? I'm curious about these exams."

"And you?" The scientist asks as he turns to Karasuba. When she just shrugs, Takehito sighs and rubs his forehead. "Well, that was informative. Since you're here anyway, get on the table. I'll do your exam now."

Karasuba wordlessly switch place with Miya, each blatantly ignoring the other's presence as they occupy the other's respective place not too long ago, only Miya continues to sip at her tea.

A tense silence now occupies the playful atmosphere Naruto has set when trying to tease something out of Karasuba. Despite the failure, it still brightens the atmosphere somewhat. Now though, a veil seems to be draped over them as every individual are silent save for the occasional hum from Takehito as he goes back to fiddling with the monitor, having hooked Karasuba up to the machine through the various wires.

Not being able to take the silence anymore, Naruto sighs, drawing everyone's attention as he throws his hands into the air and says, "Gee, you guys are hopeless. I'm going out for some air."

"I'll go with you." Miya quickly says, catching a relatively good excuse to go away as she quickly gulps down her remaining tea and follows after the blonde, who is already half way through the door. When the door closes leaving just Takehito and Karasuba, the scientist shrugs before returning to his work.

After a few seconds though, he asks, "So… you never will give him that smile? I can't say I'm not interested either. Though you are always smiling, it is never quite right somehow." Takehito turns his head a little, just enough to take in Karasuba's face as he continues to push something here and drag something there on the monitor (touch screen, got to love them). The Sekirei questioned doesn't respond as she continues to stare at the exit, as if expecting the blonde to pop back in any moment.

Karasuba just shrugs, not sure how to answers that question as her face remains as blank as a sheet of white paper.

She wonders just what is it with Naruto and wanting to see her smile. She is always smiling, so really, what is he asking?

…Does she want to smile for him?

…Except… what does he mean by smiling?

XXXXXXXXXX

"Why do you insist that she smile when she is already smiling?"

"Because Miya, I think she has one of the most beautiful smile in the world."

"…I do not understand. She is always smiling…"

"Hmm. You will someday… You will one day learn to distinguish people's smile. When that happens though, would you sit by, or would you do something about it?"

"…I don't…"

"Don't worry about it at the moment."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Modern Time…**

The day Naruto learned of someone eliminating Sekireis left and right without waiting to be recorded, he grinned wickedly and decide that he needs to pay whoever it is a visit. He manage to get a hold of who it was through a very reliable source, and with it, gone hunting.

That is the day Yomi discovers that while he is kind, bubbly, and sometimes a little slow, Uzumaki Naruto is not someone to be trifled with when he has a purpose in mind.

However, it is also the day that she learns that without some form of instruction, Uzumaki Naruto is hopeless when it comes to navigating the system. That certainly explain the GPS she finds in his car as well as the numerous maps stewed in the glove compartment.

…And the 'How to Read Map for Dummies' in the trunk.

…And the compass bubble head clued to the car.

…And the way he always seems to glance around for any signs…

Yes, the man is hopeless with directions. "Do you even know where you are going?" Yomi asks her voice low and threatening, which brings her some delight as Naruto's shoulders twitch a bit and then tense up. When he turns back with a smile that is full of fake confidence, the Sekirei knows that he is utterly, completely, and totally hopeless with direction.

For someone like Uzumaki Naruto who gives her the impression of being pretty much godly, his image shatters with this one single flaw, and Yomi can't help the grimace forming on her face. That particular grimace turns into a soft smile a second later however, because this just makes him that much more approachable. It means that she doesn't have to stare at his back as he work for the safety of her and any Sekireis he manage to 'kidnap' from MBI.

It gives her a great amount of satisfaction to know that she is the only Sekirei within the large mansion (because he has been pulling them out of the Plan here and there) to know that fact.

It makes her feel like she has just achieved some great victory. That in itself is an odd thought.

Shoving that thought away into some remote corner of her mind, Yomi walks up to the man (whose smile turns even more strained with each inch that disappear between them) and gently poke him in the chest, asking, "So, where are we going?"

"We're going that way." Naruto says as cheerfully as he can, cold sweat droplets forming on his forehead as Yomi's smile turns a little predatory. The Sekirei is enjoying the power trip a little before squashing it like the dream it is. Chuckling a little, the girl repeats her question, and Naruto, finally understanding what it is that she wants, answer her, "T-The Tokyo Central Hospital…"

"See? That wasn't so hard now was it?" Yomi lightly admonishes, folding her hands behind her while leaning forward a little, peering at him through her bangs. Naruto gulps a little, suddenly finding it a little hard to breath as this advance. Yomi giggles again before straightening and turns the other way. "It's this way. Come on. I remember that it's somewhere around the next street." When she is a few meters away and still not hearing another set of foot steps behind her, the Sekirei turns around and plants her hands on her hips, glaring at the blonde man that seems frozen on where he stands. Seeing this, that same feeling of power comes back again only to be squashed once more as she yells out, "Come on silly! What are you waiting for; an invitation?" Just then, a wicked idea strikes her, and Yomi blinks once at it before chuckling. Using one hand to hide her mouth (and her wicked grin), the girl says, "Or would you like little Yomi-chan to escort you there by taking your arm?"

The next instance have Yomi laughing as Naruto starts to stammer while waving his arms to fend off the strange glares he is receiving from the bystanders. Taking pity on him, she retraces her steps before looping her arms around one of his wild arms and holds it down then proceeds to drag him toward the hospital. All the while, she says to him, "Really, you're a grown man. You shouldn't be affected by this you know?"

"Y-Yomi-chan, that was mean." Naruto pouts and the Sekirei finds herself giggling at his antics. She notes that the giggles are much lighter and more carefree, as oppose to the ones she gave to Mikogami back when she was still his Sekirei. It really makes her wonder what she saw in that little brat. "By the way, would you mind letting my arm go? N-not that I don't like it, but it's just that… umm…"

Seeing his lost of words, Yomi raises an eyebrow to express her confusion. Naruto's face blushes crimson at that before shifting his arm a little, and Yomi feels it rubs the valley between her breasts. Oh, the blonde is shy now is he?

Not wanting to waste such a teasing moment, Yomi tightens her hold on his arm, purposely pressing her breasts further onto him and mentally laughs in delight as she can literally sees the shiver that travels up and down his spin. The horrified look on his face coupled with the pink tinge of his cheeks make him simply adorable. She bursts out laughing though when an old man walks pass and murmurs 'lucky brat' under his breath.

She wishes she has a camera. The look of horror on Naruto's crimson face is simply adorable.

XXXXXXXXXX

Despite the misgiving of the situation, Naruto allows the Sekirei to escort him to the hospital with his arm still trapped within her grasp. Trying his very best to ignore how certain spheres of flesh continue to rub against his arm, Naruto lets his eyes wonder as he controls his Junior with iron clad will.

It has being a LONG time since he has shared a bed with… Moving on!

When MBI lock the city down, Naruto was expecting just border patrols and the like such as screening at the roads that lead in and out of the capital of Japan. When he sees soldiers and military grade vehicles actually going up and down the streets, he know that the company is serious about owning just about everything in Tokyo. You do not parade your military might unless you control that region, because military present usually means threat.

Still, he finds it laughable at how easy it is to avoid them by purposely going there and here. Yomi has the misconception of him having bad directions, and he will not do anything to change that. However, does she have to grab his arm like that?

Apparently she thinks she does, or else she would have let go a while ago.

Shrugging that train of thoughts off (while taking a mental Rasengan to any perverted imagine his brain conjures up), Naruto continues to observe his surrounding while letting half of his mind wonder. The blonde man tries to predict a time when the Third Stage would begin. He if remembers right, Matsu's winging is the start of the second, meaning that there were only 10 unwinged Sekireis left if what Yomi and his really reliable source told him is correct. Tsukiumi's winging and any after that means the Third Stage is fast approaching. He has no doubt either that there are certain individuals in the city that would purposely speed up the process by hunting for unwinged Sekireis. The most notable of such individuals are that Mikogami kid and that Higa person. Both have a large amount of Sekireis, and both are obtaining more through winging more or convincing other Ashikabi to join them respectively. The impression Naruto has of them is that Mikogami Hayato (as the kid's name is) is a spoiled brat that has Mutsu on his side (and it baffles him on how he ever acquired him at all), and that Higa Izumi is one of those manipulative individuals that usually ended up on his list of people to keep an eye on while keeping away.

Then there is Sanada Nishi, who Naruto doesn't know anything about except for his name. While he may 'rule' the West side of the city, there isn't anything that suggests he is anyone to be cautious of… at least, that is what Seo said when he called the guy (through a pay phone mind you). Despite him being a scum, Naruto really can't do without his who-is-who list of the city; street smart yet intelligent, that is how he'll describe Kaoru Seo… before adding on that he's trash (a good trash, but still trash). (1)

But that is beside the point.

What the point is that Tokyo Central Hospital happens to be on the East side of the capital. Strange thing if you ask him.

Either way, it is Izumi Higa that he must watch out for. One does not 'rule' a side of the city with just having numerous powerful Sekireis (because if that is the case, Minato would 'rule' instead of the Hannya).

"Ne, just why are we going to the hospital anyway?" Yomi suddenly asks, tilting her head so that she can peer into his eyes while tugging on his arm a little to force his attention on her. "I mean, we're out hunting for someone, so why are we starting at the hospital?"

Naruto hums at the question, and after a quick reflection, he says, "I'm there to search for the victims of those unknown attacks. If I can get some general ideas of what I'm looking for, then it'd be easy to narrow it down."

"Narrow it down? How are you going to search for someone without specific instruction in the capital?" Yomi asks, a little unsure if her benefactor has the right idea. Naruto sees this, and gives her a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry. I know for a fact that it is a Sekirei we're looking for."

That stops Yomi in her tracks, and as a consequence, Naruto too stops least he wants to dislocate his shoulder. Looking back, he is greeted by Yomi's wide eyed expression that holds fear and panic. Easily understand why, he says, "Oh, don't worry. They won't take you. They can't with me here anyway."

"Yara, yara, you're as confident as ever Naru-chan." A voice purrs, and Yomi's pale face pale ever further as she turns to see the owner. Dressed in a black short kimono modified with short skirts but retaining the large wide sleeves, black stockings and black heeled boots with the grey green coat on her shoulders, Karasuba Sekirei Number 04, the Black Sekirei approaches them with a smile on her face. It isn't the smile Yomi is focusing on though, but rather the katana strapped to her side by a brown belt. Naruto can feel her arms tightening even more around his entrapped arm, and he can understand why. The individual in front of him is not someone a sane person would mess with.

Too bad he is (debatable) insane, and he isn't just someone. "Yo, Kara-chan!" Naruto says cheerfully with a wave from his free arm. That arm then moves over to his other side and gently pats Yomi on the head before resting comfortably on her hair. She tenses even further at first before relaxing some. Not as relaxed as he would like, but definitely much better than when she first locked eyes upon her. "So what brings you to this part of the city?"

"Oh, you know… work." Karasuba says casually, opening one eye as she stops a foot away from Naruto. The two sizes each other up a little, and poor Yomi can only glance back and forth between the two before Karasuba resumes her usual expression by closing her eye and says, "So you are out hunting today?"

"Mm, you can say that. Thank you for the information by the way." Naruto says, offering a smile to the Sekirei. The smile dims a little when Karasuba's own turn a little dark though. "We talked about it already…"

"But Naru-chan, it was so exciting. Can't we just have another fight?" Karasuba asks, her left hand dipping down to rests on the hilt of the katana. Naruto can see her right hand twitching in anticipation. "Besides, it's not like all of these monkeys matter."

A snort bursts from Naruto's mouth before his grin returns full force, while saying, "No. They may not matter to you, but they do have their own precious people and people that love them. There is also the fact that it would be counterproductive if MBI is to catch me now." Then with a sly smile, he says, "Besides, remember the last time we fought? You ended up wearing a dress for me."

"…It's an orange monstrosity." Karasuba deadpans, her smile dropping immediately as a vicious glare tries and failing rather splendidly to affect the blonde man.

"It is not. Orange is awesome." Naruto says with a nod, and his face easily displays his confidence in his belief. Anyone seeing this would wonder at his sanity. Karasuba and Yomi are no different, though the former is already convinced that he is insane.

"I was missing for almost an entire day…" Karasuba grounds out between clenched teeth, her smile straining as she physically restrain herself from drawing her sword.

"No you weren't. 'You' were never missing." Naruto answers with an infuriating grin that says he knows something, but he isn't sharing.

"Takami suspected something, and even Natsuo was suspicious." The Sekirei fires back, wearing a grin which quickly sours when Naruto replies.

"Takami is already suspicious of me ever since she first met me, but too bad for her I know what I'm doing." Here, Naruto pauses for a bit before saying, "As for Natsuo… how else did you think I get you out of the tower? I suspect he called Takami to get a confirmation of how good the disguise is."

"You…"

"Yes… me…"

"…Bah, you're really insane." The Black Sekirei jokes, relaxing her hold against her katana before her eyes dip to Yomi, who stifles a small whimper at the smile offered to her. "So how have you being? Has he beaten you into the ground recently?"

"W-wha?" Yomi sputters and Naruto sighs. He is just about to answers when Yomi cuts him off by saying, "Naruto-san did no such thing! And why would he wants to beats me into the ground anyway?!"

"Eh? You mean… You didn't train her?" Karasuba asks, surprised at first before her surprise turns into amusement when Naruto raises an eyebrow. "This is interesting…"

"Not everyone is required to take down armies you know." Naruto says, his voice nearly resembling a monotone as his shoulder slumps in a form of deadpan. Karasuba just lets out a small chuckle while Yomi's eyes grow several fractions larger at that piece of news before looking at Karasuba with a new found terror. Maybe that is not such a good thing to tell her. "Back to business, is there anything I can do for you, or are you just passing and happens to see me?"

"Hmm…" Giving him this strange little smile, Karasuba rubs her chin with a gloved hand before giving a little shrugs and says, "Well, that depends. Is your hunt urgent?"

"No. I just like to get started it all." Naruto answers, and seeing Yomi's confusion, explains. Turning his attention back to Karasuba, he asks, "So…?"

"Come have lunch with me."

Naruto blinks and he can actually feel Yomi jumping at the sudden request. It is that Sekirei that answered for him, though it's more of a question really. "W-what are you asking?"

Karasuba blinks at her, her eyes open to show her astonishment at the question and replies, "Just what I said. I'm asking him to have lunch with me. You are of course invited as an extension."

"Ex… Extension?!" Yomi exclaims in anger, and seeing this Naruto quickly holds up his hands to placate the girl from launching into a fight she can't win while giving Karasuba a reason to unleash her blood lust.

"Maa, maa, there's no need for violence Yomi-chan. Besides, you have to know that there is little chance for you to beat her." The blonde man says as he brings the eliminated number down. Karasuba smirks at the last comment, only to twitch as Naruto turns his stare on her. "And you, there is no reason to provoke her, and just because you want to fight does not mean that you can provoke another. Eventually you'll bite off more than you can chew… like that time."

The Black Sekirei obviously flinched at the mentioning of some incident that left Yomi curious. Before she can asks though, Naruto pulls his arm out of hers and loops it around her shoulders and happily says, "Other than that, sure. You are of course treating me and my date here."

"I am n-not your date!"

"That's reasonable. Just let me inform Natsuo." Karasuba says with a light shrug, digging into her belt for her VIP card and her cell phone. Pulling the latter out after finding the former (Naruto has to suppress a grin at the fact that it's orange with black strips), the Black Sekirei dials a number quickly, puts it to her ear and listen for a few seconds before saying, "Hello? Nat-chan, I won't be returning for a few hours… No, no, nothing is wrong; just meeting a mutual friend… Uzumaki-san of course… Ah, I'll do that. Bye-bye!" The call is short and to the point, and when she flips her phone shuts and returns it to her belt, she says, "Natsuo is not surprised by your name, so it seems that he does know you, oh, and he says hi. Also, not a word on the cell phone; Natsuo gave it to me, so I have no said in it."

"Then he has impeccable taste. He is also really good at keeping secrets; keep that in your head for future use when you need it." Naruto says sagely, waving off Karasuba's snorts as he steers Yomi around easily and starts walking again. "Now come, I'm hungry and I'm sure my date is too. I know a pretty good restaurant near by that serves high class food."

"I told you I'm not your date!"

"Of course, lead the way." Karasuba says with a shrug as she starts to follow along. She watches as Yomi squirms out of Naruto's arm and falls back a step, glaring at his back with a healthy blush on her face. There is an urge to tease her, and not one to deny herself some fun (seeing her other form of entertainment is pretty much unavailable at the moment), Number 04 asks, "So… how's he as a date?"

"I TOLD YOU!! I'M NOT HIS DATE!!!!" Yomi exclaims, throwing her arms up before stomping off the street and pacing an amused Naruto who sends a look back to Karasuba.

She just smiles _that_ smile; the one that appears edgy and tense to him. Basically a front that can easily fool many, but it cannot fool him.

Besides, he hates _that_ smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

"That was… interesting." A pair of silver eyes follows the trio of strange companies as they make their way down the street. It isn't the fact that they're rather lively that attracted her attention, but rather the fact that it's who one of them is that snatches her eyes. To see the Spear Point of the Disciplinary Squad out here and talking to someone else before following him to wherever is something you do not see everyday. It makes her wonder if the blonde man is an Ashikabi.

How very interesting indeed…

"Oi, you!" A voice shouts from behind her, and she turns around, her red hair loosely flowing in the air as she arches one red eyebrow at the twin in front of her; both in a strange leather purple outfit, one lighter than the other. Now where has she heard about…? "You're an unwinged Sekirei aren't you?" The dark purple one shouts, pointing a finger at her and she has to point a finger at herself while staring at them in astonishment. That was… quite the strange request… and something tells her it's not a good thing.

"Hikari, of course she's an unwinged one. A winged Sekirei don't go around wondering like that without a purpose." The light purple one replies for her, and she suddenly understand just who they are and why they are asking that particular question.

They are Hikari and Hibiki, the Twin Sekireis that are infamous for them hunting unwinged Sekireis… and that Kaoru Seo person being a worthless moron as some would say.

She is just about to drop into a fighting stance when lightning starts to arch across their bodies. She gulps, knowing for a fact that despite how much she struggles, melee type never really has any advantage over elementals. This can be quite the problem.

"So, would you come with us quietly?" Hibiki asks, giving her a pleading smile as if it'll help any.

"Or do we have to take you the hard way?" Hikari finishes, a nasty grin on her face that contradicts her sister's.

Shadow and Light, how fitting.

Alright, Plan B.

"Eh… it's nice to see you, but I have to go now… Bye!" She starts lamely only to exclaims as she finishes, body already turned and one foot flying out to get her away. It is just in time too as a lightning bolt slams into where she was but a second ago, the excess electricity making the hair on the back of her neck stands. Giving out a squeak, she increases her speed in hope to loose them, though it appears futile. The twins are quite stubborn.

'So the question now,' she asks herself mentally with a strained smile and a sweat drop while ducking under a lightning bolt, 'is what am I suppose to do?'

XXXXXXXXXX

**Beep-beep… Beep-beep… Beep-be-click.** "Hello?"

"**Homura, the Twins are at it again."**

"Eh? Where are they?:

"**They are at… wait! They are heading towards Number 04… why is she in a freaking restaurant? A pretty good one too!?"**

"Karasuba?! Takami, are you sure? This can be really bad!"

"**I know, and I'm already sending the coordinate to you. So GET YOUR ASS DOWN THERE NOW!!!**"

"Heeeeee~!" Homura half exclaims and half moans, pushing his free hand through his silver hair as Takami cut off on the other end. The Flame Sekirei looks at the phone with an exasperated expression before pocketing it, looks up, and nearly squeal like a girl when he sees Miya leaning against his door frame. She has that smile on her face; the one that says she knows everything and that there is no point trying to tell her otherwise. "Umm…"

"Should I prepare dinner for you?" The landlady asks as she covers her mouth with a hand. Homura relaxes a little at that, knowing that he isn't in trouble. However, there is one thing that makes him wonder.

"Miya, do you know who Karasuba can be associating with to go to a high-end restaurant?" Homura asks, a little unsure if he should even broach the subject to her. Seeing the slight tensing of her muscle, Homura gulps and is just about to leap out of his window to escape when Miya sighs and palms her forehead. It stops the Flame Sekirei from doing anything else. Besides, he could of swear that he hears mumbling under her breath even though her lips didn't move… one thing is certain though, Miya isn't happy, but at the same time she can't be happier. (2)

"What is its name?" The landlady asks with a knowing smile as if expecting the answer already. No sure how to response, Homura gives her the name and Miya's smile grows upon that and says, "Well, if she's in that restaurant, then we shouldn't need to worry about her." Seeing Homura's confusion, she giggles and while waving a finger at him, "Let's just says someone has a pretty good hold on her… Don't worry about it. But if you must, go. Just… be careful ne? Don't go spilling any ramen yes?"

As he watches the landlady walks away (resuming her grumbling about some cheap blonde and unfairness) Homura wonders just why is it that he has this feeling that Miya just made some joke about him and he doesn't even know it.

XXXXXXXXXX

And cut! That's it for this one. It originally was going to be a huge one, but I cut it into two. One long chapter depicting one event does not allow me for the amount of details I can put in it without boring myself out. So… you can curse me for the cliffy, but that's it.

Right then… this is a strange chapter. Maybe I'm being influenced by you readers, maybe not, but it appears I'm trying to aim for something that simply won't work. My solution to this? I plow through and take out what seems awkward, and keep what is alright by my standard. I personally think more development on Naruto's character can wait.

On a note of that, thanks to a review and further thought process, I have concluded that YES, this Naruto is mentally unstable, and it is what I am aiming for. I implied that he is old (as should be picked up somewhere), and age tends to do wonders to the mind for it either make them stronger, or breaks them. Naruto leans more toward the latter, and rather than breaking, I would say he is jaded. That is all I'll say for now. For those who thinks a crazy Naruto is rather far fetch in this story, sorry to disappoint. I hold firm to the belief that age can either make you or break you, and I'm aiming towards breaking for this one.

1) "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Enough said about that.

2) For those curious about what she mumbles, here it is: "Why does she get to go but I don't? I want to eat fancy food occasionally too…"

Lack-of-betaness: I've try my best to correct any and all mistakes i can find. If there are still some, either point them out or drop a hint and i'll try to not make any more in the future.


	6. Unexpected Turn Part 2

Alright… let's face it, I can't remember any reviews and I'm too lazy to go back to reread them. Life has been busy, and school once more tries to, and very successfully mind you, bulldozed me over. If I offend anyone by stating this, I am sorry, but at the moment that I wrote this, I'm not exactly in a happy mood… Nothing bad minds you, just not happy-go-lucky or at least content. Annoyed would probably be a very good way to describe me as I write this.

Either way, without further ado, here is part 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of the two mangas/animes. They belong to their respective creator and will most likely NEVER end up in my hands.

XXXXXXXXXX

Miya has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

It stems from the fact that everything under her roof, she knows. For example, she knows what Uzume is doing, though she will not react upon it until the girl either comes to her about it, or finally falls into the hole she's digging herself into. In the case of the latter, Miya will keep herself from action until Uzume cross the line.

It is also why it seems that Miya always pops out when a fight is about to occurs or when Minato somehow lands himself in an "inappropriate" situation as Miya likes to call them. She knows it all, but so long as no one asks her, she will not tell.

This is also why she is such a good keeper of information and secrets: no one dares to ask her. They, being a lot of people that comes and goes in her life, have tried to persuade her, bribe her, and even manipulate her, but never once did they succeed. It never once occurs to them that they can simply try asking for it.

It is amazing how much things can be avoided if one simply ASKS for it. Oh well… that's why the world is as it is.

Still, as she hums to herself while airing out some tatami mats, Miya ponders upon whether she should have told Homura more about the situation he's about to land himself in. While Miya doesn't know all the specifics herself, it isn't hard to have Matsu to do a little digging for her. Of course, knowing the restaurant name is enough to let Miya have some idea of the event that might occur. Takami plus Homura usually means the Twins are at it against another Unwinged Sekirei, and they are heading towards a specific restaurant upon Homura's call. Karasuba (whose name still leaves a bitter taste in her mouth after all these times) is within that restaurant with a certain being, and that along lets Miya rest a few of her worries despite how short it'll probably be.

Hmm… Oh well. Miya is sure that whatever is going to happen will sort itself out. She has faith in Naruto, and if not him, then at least grudging respect for Karasuba to have some inking of what to do. Being a Single Digit and part of the First Gen Disciplinary Squad means that she can't afford to be ignorant about things nor make stupid decisions on the fly (though the latter is mostly ignored because… let's face it, even Miya made her fair share of stupid mistakes no matter how rare).

Now where did she put her… Oh forget it. She can't concentrate on her house work at the moment. Besides, the tatami can be left out to air so long as it doesn't rain and nobody, and that means NOBODY is stupid enough to steal from her. Not after what happened to the last one that tried at least. Miya passively wonders if the thief is still in the mental ward before shrugging and calls out in a sing-song voice, "Matsu~~. I require a bit of your time if it's not too much trouble."

In another word: You're helping me with what I want, whether you like it or not.

The small squeak from somewhere inside the inn alerts Miya to the fact that Matsu knows what is required of her, and that she has a minute to clean up whatever she isn't suppose to be doing in her room before the landlady "stumbles" upon it. How she loves that feeling of power sometimes.

Sometimes, and Miya only means SOMETIMES (read most of the time); it pays to be as powerful and scary as she is.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yomi is… amazed.

That's all she can say about the situation as she watches Naruto talk with Karasuba as if it's an everyday thing. He talks to her like she's just some old friend from way back, instead of one of the being on the entire earth that is capable of actually performing genocides should she want to. Yomi isn't stupid, she knows who she is, she knows what she is capable of now thanks to Naruto, and she certainly knows for a fact that being one of the Top Five Single Digit, the Sekirei in front of her may as well be a freaking monster wearing a lamp's skin. Forget wolves, they hold nothing to her.

"So there really isn't anything interesting that happened recently in MBI?"

"Hmm? Not that I know of. Why Naru-chan? Are you getting bored?"

"Well… I might sneak in to mess with Takami's head. She's a fun one when you know what to do."

"Oro? I wonder how her son will react to that… By the way, did you know that her daughter…"

Thus that is why she is so amazed when Karasuba talks back the same way Naruto is talking to her. The usual insults are there, the mock banters, the jokes, the teasing; all the things you would expect between two good friends talking about their everyday event are there.

"Oi, is it really so hard to be a little more lady like every now and then? At the very least when you're in front of me?"

"Yara, yara, I see no reason to behave myself or prove myself to your image. I am here, treating you to lunch, so the least you can do is let me do as I please ne?"

"Fine, fine, but that is only because you're treating. If I'm treating, I'm expecting you to at least show some courtesy or table manner."

"What are you talking about? I'm not rude at all. Or are you implying at something?"

So, as she slowly sips at her soup, Yomi can only gaze at the two wide eyed and keeps completely out of the conversation completely. Of course, the way Karasuba leans her katana against her shoulder helps her resolve in keeping her mouth shut.

"So is that one a special katana or just another cheap mass production from the factory?"

"This one? Nah, it's just a cheap one. It's not some amazing craftsmanship mind you."

"Eh? If so, why would you even bother using it?"

"The job is dirty. Why bring something expensive when something like is will do?"

Strangely enough, no one within the restaurant seems alarmed by the presence of an armed MBI personal. No one even react to the casual talk of underground business or the implication of something… unsavory.

"Bah, that aside, how's your new Squad? I am curious as to how you get along with them… Who are they again?"

"They are Benitsubasa and Haihane, Number 105 and 104 respectively. I don't mind them… though…"

In all actuality, the most reaction she seen within the entire restaurant upon Karasuba's presence is a waiter arching a fine eyebrow before leading them to an open table.

"Eh, sounds like you are getting along just fine. Still, I wonder if you're only tolerating them or actually are having fun."

"Toleration is enough. As to fun…"

"Guess it's still a work in progress… maybe. Either way, if you're talking about that type of fun… Next time, let's try Gothic Lolita."

"…That's impossible I tell you. It is not even funny I tell you; not at all."

When she hears that, Yomi has to restrain herself from openly gawking at Naruto. Eh… how do you react to this in the first place?

So rather than trying to puzzle this out and find someway to insert herself into the conversation, Yomi instead focus her attention on her food.

Her second sirloin steak, grilled to a tender chewiness without destroying any mouth watering flavor, dripped with butter and lemon and served with a sauce that holds just an under hint of wine, to be more precise. Then to her side is a piece of fish fillet, salmon steamed and then drizzled with a sweet, buttery sauce that tingles her taste buds while make her brain melt to mush in its heavenly delight. To her left is a bowl of mushroom cream soup, with just the perfect thickness to contain its texture, but thin enough that it slips right pass her tongue and down her throat in a sensual movement. Then next to the soup is a piece of French bread, sliced at just the ride thickness and toasted with garlic and other herbs, maximizing its flavor. When combined with the soup, her taste buds sing the Halleluiah Chorus and her body shivers with delight. Ah, life couldn't get any better than this can it?

Actually, it can… though we'll avoid any more food presentation so as not to tick off any hungry readers.

While popping another piece of steak into her mouth, Yomi directs an ear to the conversation going next to her, finding nothing of interest as of yet other than the usual gossips one would expect from two friends. That in itself catches her attention, because Sekirei Number 43 isn't sure what the two can talk about with such happy tones. Her interest peaks once more as Naruto then start to tease Karasuba, requesting that she smile when the Sekirei is already smiling. It tickles at her brain because it sounds awfully strange, but familiar in some bizarre way. Yomi wonders what is wrong with Karasuba's smile… other than the chill it sends down her spin every now and then.

A cold smile befitting a cold blooded killer; poetic justice to its very finest…

"You know, I just have a flashback to _that_ day…"

"…Oi… That was not happy memory."

"Really? Takehito and I had fun."

"At our expense…"

Eh, not really.

As far as she can see, if not for her outfit, her katana, and her recognizable look, Yomi would actually think of her as just another girl having fun talking to her friend.

There is just something different about Karasuba when she is in Naruto's presence.

Very different from the small run in they once had in MBI's lab.

"_Yare, yare, this one probably won't amount to much… so weak…"_

"_Karasuba, please don't antagonize any Sekireis. They can always end up as your future teammates."_

"_Hmm… I'm just saying it as I see it Sahashi-san…"_

"…_Seriously… I'll never understand you."_

"Yomi-chan? Captain Ramen to Yomi-chan?" A voice calls out, and Yomi blinks just in time to see a hand waving in front of her in a manner as which to catch her attention. Just then, the words used for such action catch on, and the Sekirei has to reward her benefactor with a deadpan. "Ah, there we go. I thought we lost you in Cloud Nine or something." Naruto says cheerfully, completely disregarding the slight twitching of Yomi's lips into a frown. "Anyway, back to my original question. How's the food so far?"

Sekirei Number 43 blinks again, wondering why he would bother asking her such question. One only needs to look at the amount of empty plates stacked at the end of the table to know… Still, it is polite to give answer, and so Yomi says with a smile, "The food is great. This place lives up to its rank. Though I do imagine the price…"

"Forget about it. It won't even put a dent in MBI's assets." It is Karasuba who waves her off, leaning back so that she can swing an arm over the chair's back. It still amazes Yomi just how much her posture and her expression contradicts each other, her body obviously relaxed, but her true feeling is guarded behind a thick wall of something… Actually, why would she know that? How would probably be a better question, considering she never studied body language or how to discern expressions. "Is there something on my face?"

"E-eh? N-N-N-N-N-NO!! NO! I'm just… err…" Yomi stutters as she is caught staring. The amused smirk fired her way doesn't help with her embarrassment. The way Naruto chuckles also do no help either. That does reminds her… "Is there… something I can help with?"

"You can join the conversation for one." Naruto offers with a wave of his hand, and Yomi resumes her blank expression coupled with blinking. Seeing this, Naruto arches an eyebrow and elaborates by saying, "Well, it's boring just sitting there right? Sure the food is good, and it's a good thing to savor it. But would it be much better to have a pleasant conversation?"

"I… suppose?"

This time, it's Naruto's term to deadpan. "Is that an answer or a question?"

"Err…"

"Yare, yare, I never took you for the shy type…" Karasuba jokingly states, earning a scathing look from Yomi. The Black Sekirei's smile widen a little at the way Number 43 flush in irritation and wonder if she can provoke her to attack… Nah. Better not inquire Naruto's wrath. "You certainly can't take a joke, and people say I'm too serious."

"But you are…" Naruto answers, his face completely devote of any emotion just to emphasize that point. Karasuba arches one fine eyebrow at that, her smile widening even more before she shrugs her shoulders. "Seriously though… you are too serious."

"And you're too lenient." Yomi blurts out before gasping in trepidation. She did not mean to say that…

When laughter greets her though, the poor Sekirei blinks wide, frightened eyes at Karasuba. Number 04 is clutching her side laughing her head off for some reason that completely escape Yomi. If it isn't because Yomi suspects Karasuba to be some psychopath, she'll be questioning her mental health at the moment. "Hehehehe… N-Naruto? Lenient? …BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"…I… do not get what is so hilarious at the moment." Yomi says slowly, completely and utterly lost as to how to answer that question. Still, shrugging it off, Yomi finishes her share of food before giving her thank for the meal. Seeing that lunch is pretty much finished, and that there isn't any point in linger within the store, Naruto waves a server over for the check, upon which Karasuba waves it off and instead walks off to pay for it at the counter. That makes Yomi wonders. "She seems to be in a pretty good mood… Don't tell me, some massacre happened somewhere?"

"Eh? No." Naruto answers easily, leaning against the chair's spine as he offers an easy smile. "If there was a massacre somewhere, she wouldn't be wondering the street. I personally do not care what it was, so long as it keeps innocent lives out of the equation. Though I do suspect it has something to do with some rumors of Ashikabis wanting to escape the city."

"Hmm, so you do know something…"

Turning around, Yomi blinks up at Karasuba's form before turning her attention back to Naruto. She has to stiffen a sudden at the way his blue eyes seemingly froze over while that easy smile still graces his lips. It then occurs to her just how easy she reads Naruto yet at the same time reads nothing. It is like he is secretly instructing her on something, but never truly doing anything. Not for the first time, Yomi concludes that Uzumaki Naruto is an enigma that can probably never be solved.

At least… she doesn't feel like she can… Where did that came from?

"Just rumors; it is something I wouldn't bother investigating." Naruto says with a shrug before pushing his chair back so he can stands up. The "yet" is easily detected, and Yomi wonders just what plans are being made by the blonde man at the moment. "Anyway, I hope you gave them a generous tip?"

"Of course." Karasuba just smiles and Yomi wonders just when the conversation was averted, or rather how easily it was done.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Beep-beep~~! Beep-beep~~!** Blinking, Karasuba reaches for her cell phone, wonder who would call her at all. When she takes in the caller ID, the Sekirei's astonishment reaches a new level as she tries to come up with an idea of why Sahashi Takami of all people would contact her. Oh sure she's their adjustor and maintenance supervisor, but what could she possibly want now?

…Oh well, not her problem.

With that and a decisive motion, Karasuba ignores the call, and turns the power off. "Now then, where should we go?"

"Who was that?" Naruto asks, more curious than anything if the way his eyes twinkle is any indication. His companion also graces her with curiosity, and Karasuba has to ponder upon the possibility that Naruto is unconsciously molding a clone out of the girl. Nah…

"Just Takami. As to what she wants, I don't really care. She can yell at me later, but now? I'm off duty."

"Since when were you off duty?" Yomi blurts out, and Karasuba applauds her courage, or would that be stupidity? Whatever. Usually, Sekireis that know who she is trembles in fear, but then they always put up a false bravado and a false hope in that they can defeat her. It annoys her really how much they hope for. She can take down a damned army, and they hoped to defeat her? Hmph, it's simply pathetic.

Now this one though…

Maybe it is Naruto's presence, maybe it's because she's officially out of the S Plan, or maybe it's something else. Whichever the case, Karasuba is feeling a very TINY amount of appreciation to be treated somewhat… normally. The fear is still there, but it's being melted away slowly, and Number 04 feels somewhat grateful for another to join the small list (Minaka, Takami, Natsuo, Miya, Kazehana, Mutsu, Naruto, Yume, Musubi, and recently Minato – thought the last one probably couldn't count as he doesn't know who she is then) of people who can talk to her without trembling in fear or stuttering in terror. It also earns a small amount of grudging respect for poor little Yomi, who is really nothing compared to her full might, and certainly insignificant next to Naruto. It doesn't change the fact that Karasuba is still somewhat… content, because she just doesn't do happy.

Of course, Karasuba will voluntarily walks to Miya's and ask for a spanking than to ever admit it however, though knowing her, Miya will probably just cleave her in half right down the center (as that would effectively ensure a quick but messy death).

Oh that's right; she hasn't answered that question yet. "I was off duty since I invited Naruto and you to lunch. Back to my original question; where should we go? I'm in a mood to walk around right now."

XXXXXXXXXX

**In some random alley way…**

She curses her luck as she finds barely escape another electrocution, though it did graze her enough that it slowed her ability down. Cursing for her stupidity in running into a place like this, the unwinged rolls behind a dumpster just as Hibiki demolishes a few aluminum cans scattered about. With a grimace, she leaps into action once more, keeping her center of gravity low as she speeds through the narrow route, hoping but knowing that there is little chance of her escaping unscathed. It is at moments like this that she thanks whoever gave her a petite and lithe body.

It still doesn't save her from being blasted full on from behind.

"Got you!" A triumphant Hikari exclaims with a smirk, and seeing that, the Unwinged forces herself onto her feet and once more dashes down the alley way and then immediately veered left upon finding an opening.

Once she did, the Unwinged can hear Hikari cursing before giving chase, her twin not too far behind… no wait, there is only a set of foot step. Where is the other one?

"I'm sorry."

The apology registered too late as a vicious kick connects with her left flank, undoubtedly bruising or even cracking a few ribs if the excruciating pain that follows is any indication. Slamming head first into the wall doesn't help anything at all either. In her disorientation, the Unwinged just barely makes out Hibiki saying, "Umm, this really is for your own good, so please don't run anymore."

She decides there and then that the Twins suck at persuasion, let alone negotiation. If this is for her own good, she hates to see what they do to their enemies. Of course, they are not helping their cases by constantly attacking her. So far, they are not relenting on their attack as well, yet they are expecting her to just pipe down and quietly go with them?

Like hell.

A quick burst of speed, and then a grabbling technique here, a twist there, and then a throw sees Hibiki slamming into the wall off to the side, clearing an escape route. Not wanting to waste it, the Unwinged quickly dashes down it and into the open area… and right into a shopping center? Full of civilians no less, meaning more unnecessary work to avoid obstacles like that child asking for candy not too far away or that boyfriend escorting his girlfriend into a clothing store.

Anything and everything can go wrong here… This is turning out to be a nightmare.

How the hell… no, why the hell would a series of abandoned alley way lead to here of all places?!

XXXXXXXXXX

"Che… she sure can run." Homura comments as he dashes after the Unwinged. While he has yet to make contact with the Twins, he isn't stupid or naïve to think that they given up. In all honesty, he expects them to get rid of him first as he has this rather distinct signature if one knows what to look for, but then they'll loose their prey.

Still, as the Fire Sekirei rushes into the shopping center, he curses his luck as well as the Unwinged's lack of strategies. This is truly turning out to be troublesome…

It really doesn't help at all when Hikari and Hibiki can fight much better in crowded area. Why is that? Because it's so easy to blend into the crowd, that it's easy to get behind the target. Also taking into account their power, it makes them the perfect tool for this kind of area. You don't need a large lightning bolt when a small zap the equivalent of a high voltage stun gun is enough.

XXXXXXXXXX

No one will ever accuse Minato to be stupid. In fact, if there is one thing he is guilty of, it's probably the fact that while he holds a brain that many would kill for, he rarely puts it to good use. It is a fact that many does not notice, and for those that do, they sigh in exasperation quietly while forcing a smile whenever Minato humbles himself over his intelligence.

His mother is one of the latter, and it eggs her simply in the wrong way many times within her life. But that is beside the issue.

As it is mentioned, Minato is and never will be accused of being stupid; naïve maybe, and sometimes too optimistic or too kind, but never stupid. As such, one will expect him to not land himself in some situation that will be his undoing…

Of course, it is also a sad fact that Minato's luck is at best, questionable, and at worst, down right problematic. He has yet to get into a situation that he can't get out of thanks to his intelligence and his quick thinking ability as well as his mother's fierce "don't-cross-me" attitude and scary aura. He also has helped her sister countless times either out in the open or behind the scene, her homework being the former and her secret admirers that borderline on stalkers being the latter (and boy, does his mother has something to say to those stalkers). But that is where the good things tend to get out of hand. His lucks usually gets him involved in something that actually requires him think really fast or risk losing a part of his body.

He would readily count Musubi landing on him the first time as one of those incidents; not because she'll crush him of course, but because of the S&M Twins' lightning attacks that would probably fried some part of his body. Then again, he panicked, and he ran. End of story… As a bonus, he landed himself a hot girl… who then dragged him into this fighting tournament that leads him to Miya the scary (but loveable) landlady, Seo the scum-but-really-useful-guy, Kusano the ever delightful child, Matsu the pervert, Tsukiumi the Tsundere (who'll probably throw him through a few walls should he ever call her that), and Naruto the Mysterious. There are of course more, but that is way too off topic.

As said before, Minato is never accused of being too smart for his own good. He is however open to be accused of possessing a kind of luck that makes it look like Lady Luck made it while drunk.

Thus it might explain how he is once more dragged into an escape with another Sekirei from the S&M Twins that is Hikari and Hibiki.

Sahashi Minato once again curses his luck as he runs as fast as his feet allow him and the slightly limping Sekirei behind him can.

He is vaguely aware that Tsukiumi and Musubi is giving chase, but having little to no success seeing that the Twins are more adept at evading crowds.

Oh, that reminds him… He needs to get some more rice as Miya requested (thus explaining away Musubi's presence and Tsukiumi's seeing as the blonde refuse to "lose" to the brunette). Though how does that relate to him being in the mall?

"I… I'm really sorry about this." The Unwinged puffs out between her panting and a wince. Minato can only return a somewhat strained but sympathetic smile. Truthfully, he can't for the life of him forsake the Sekirei to whatever awaits her. His chivalry that was nearly literally bashed into his head (by his beloved mother) wouldn't let him do that. His conscience wouldn't let him do that. Of course, should his sister hear about this (which he doubt, but you never know), she'll never let him hear the end of it. As far as Yukari knows, Minato is a no-good, sloppy older brother that is dependent when he is needed. Knowing that he willingly forsakes a damsel in distress will shatter whatever respect she has for him, and it's hard enough that his mother doesn't hold him in a high regard as it is.

Of course, it goes without saying that Sahashi Minato does not understand just how much his mother care for him.

Either way…

"Umm…"

"Don't worry about it." Minato quickly ends any more attempts at apologies from the Sekirei. No matter how nice he is, he can only take so many apologies aimed at him before he snaps. After all, when each apology reminds him of his damned chivalry and rotten luck, he prefers to not think about it and simply do what is required of him.

In this case, he needs to run.

Was it some divine entity that likes to mock him? Or was it simply because he wasn't paying any attention to where he is going (because having two really smoking hot women arguing over you tends to do that to anyone's attention spam)? Whichever the case is the end results cannot be argued with.

He is here, running once more for his life.

He has with him an injured and most likely (with a 99.99999% chance of getting it right) unwinged Sekirei limping behind him.

His winged Sekireis are giving chase while a particular set of Sekireis are trying to (and failing somewhat miraculously, thank you Kami-sama for small favors) electrocute him.

He is running through a very dense crowd.

What else did he miss?

"Hmm? Yo, Minato. Fancy seeing you here!"

Oh, and of course, he just has to run into Naruto the Mysterious, who is accompanied by none other than Karasuba the Black Sekirei and… Isn't that the Sekirei Musubi eliminated while they rescue Ku-chan?

"AH!! YOU!!!" And of course, the eliminated (or supposedly eliminated) Sekirei just happens to recognize him.

"K-Karasuba…" Let's not forget the injured and unwinged Sekirei recognize just who is appraising him with amusement clearly plastered on her face.

"What the…?! YOU?!" Twin shouts behind him alerts Minato to the fact that the Twin has caught up with him.

"Ara? Karasuba-sama!? What are you doing here?" And then there's Musubi.

"MINATO! AS YOUR WIFE I DEMAND THAT YOU LET GO OF THAT GIRL!!" Ah, Tsukiumi's reaction is always rather faithful. Minato quickly wonder if that is a good thing or not, because he is seriously expecting to hear something similar for the rest of his life (assuming he live through the day… and the next one… and the one after that… you get the drift).

Now all they are missing is… "Stop right there. I will not allow you to… Huh… this is a complicated situation…"

Yup, the whole gang is here. Minato silently thanks whoever is looking out for him up there that Miya isn't present, because he thinks that he couldn't possibly take her hastily drawn conclusion at this moment.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Inside a certain "secret" room in the Izumi Inn…**

"You know… Mina-tan is really lucky with the ladies, and seemingly ready to snatch another Sekirei. But his luck only goes that far…"

"Hmm… I must say Matsu, I agree with you. Shame I'm not there to make it worst. But then again, Karasuba and I in the same vicinity never seem to end well."

"Don't forget Naru-tan."

"Oh yes, can't forget him. He'll sooner bend us over his knees than let us settle our issues." A pause… "Maybe I should go there just to see Karasuba gets herself into trouble."

"…Miya-than, that is very mean of you, and why you are very scary."

"Ohoho, a widow must have some way to entertain herself, ne? Now hush. I want to see how Homura handles this."

XXXXXXXXXX

Having decided that the time is right, Homura has leap from his perch on the top of a sky scraper and landed as light as a feather next to the Twins. Straightening, the Flame Sekirei shouts, "Stop right there. I will not allow you to…" Then he notices the company that is within his immediate torching range, causing him to trail off as he blinks owlishly at the gathering of… Well, rag-tag is the best he can come up with in his shock-induced trance. It is thus he mumbles, "Huh… this is a complicated situation…"

The joke from Miya about spilling ramen suddenly comes into his mind, and oddly Homura is really glad that they are not near any ramen shop. Why? Don't ask him. Asama Miya is the one that puts the thought in his head. Still, Homura swears, and that means SWEARS that the landlady is currently having fun at his very expense.

"…You know, somehow I feel like this will happen regardless of what we do…" Hikari sudden says, breaking the strain silence that everyone is only partially aware of, but never commented on it. Hibiki laughs nervously as she scratches her cheek with a finger, easily agreeing with her sister because she always has this feeling that something or someone will come and disrupt their plan. The "someone" part started when they run into Sahashi Minato. The "something" appears to be starting now.

"Ah, it's the perverted lady." Musubi supplies happily, pointing a finger at Yomi. The unintended jab (because no matter how you look at it, Musubi will never purposely insult another) turns Yomi's face red in a mixture of rage and embarrassment; rage because she is not a pervert, and embarrassment because Naruto has turn to award her a raised eyebrow.

"I'M NOT PERVERTED YOU BIG BREASTED WOMAN!!"

Tsukiumi groans as she slaps a hand to her face, saying, "Geez, you don't have to remind Musubi of her breast size you know? I am very glad at the moment that she isn't some pompous girl because of it."

"Musubi being pompous? Ma, now that I would like to see." The Black Sekirei muses while stroking her chin, making all but two Sekireis flinch as if expecting her to unleash some hell upon them within instance. Homura is more controlled of his own reaction to it, knowing that she's not going to just openly massacre everyone… yet. MBI has a reputation to keep, and having one of their staff suddenly slaughtering people in the middle of the street is not wise.

"Ano… What should I do?" Minato asks no one in particular, one hand scratching the back of his neck nervously while his eyes dart left and right. The calculating glint within them is very obvious and oddly similar to the ones easily found in Minaka's, but unlike the director's they lack the edge of insanity that often makes people shudder.

Naruto only chuckles half-heartily while shaking his head, as if appreciating some joke that only he knows of. It isn't too far from the truth though because no one seems to understand just what he is chuckling about.

"Ano…" A meek voice sounds off from the middle of the group, bringing everyone's attention onto the battered and worst-for-wear Unwinged that is still clinging onto Minato's hand. Seeing everyone's gaze upon her, the Sekirei gulps down her fear and asks, "So what happens now…?"

The question easily brings back the tense silence that was so easily dispelled by Hikari not too long ago. It also brings about a very tense atmosphere as everyone sizes everyone up as a possible opposition. Of course, most of the sizing tends to land on Karasuba, but instead of calculating the chance of success, most is calculating the chance of survival, never mind escape.

During all this, Homura continues to think that Miya knows, or at least suspect some of what MIGHT happen. In fact, he bets that she's watching at this very moment. As if to answer him, his phone suddenly rings, turning everyone's attention to him. Feeling a twitch by his eye brow, the man reaches into his pocket, takes out his phone, checks the caller ID, lets out a sigh, answers, and says, "You knew…"

"**Ara, that's not a nice thing to say Homura-san.**"

"Must you…?" Homura groans into the phone, trying his very best to ignore the curious gazes from everyone. Of course, it doesn't help when Naruto is giving him this knowing look. "Are you going to help out?"

"**Hmm… I'm not sure how I'll be able to help. Besides, even with Matsu here, I can't exactly just rush to your location now can I? We don't want to give MBI a reason to move.**"

Suppressing another groan, Homura warily eye Karasuba, understanding the landlady's concern. Still… "If not, then why are you calling me? As you can see, and I KNOW you're seeing thanks to… Tell her to stop that insisting giggling please. It grates on my nerve."

"**Hai, hai.**" The person on the other line says, before it is accompanied by a horrified squeak, then silence… Then, "**Well, there. Anyway, you mind giving the phone to Naruto-san?**"

"…Huh?" Homura makes out just barely before owlishly blinking at Naruto. The blonde must have understood something because he holds out an expectant hand. Karasuba next to him sudden glares up into the sky at what Homura is sure the MBI satellite is, and Minato follows not too far behind, a grimace upon his face and an exasperated look in his eyes. Of course, how can he forget?

The answer to this is very simple: Matsu.

Handing the phone over to Naruto, Homura watches as the blonde simply start conversing rather naturally, as if he isn't surrounded by aliens that can turn the entire block into a freaking battle ground. Mentally shrugging it off as either insanity or simply not caring, Homura turns his attention to Yomi, whom according to Takami has been missing ever since Sekirei 108 was rescued by Minato. Apparently Naruto in involved in her disappearance, thus prompting Homura to turn his attention back to the mysterious blonde. Someone like that is best keep in the radar, especially considering the fact that he is with Karasuba when they run into each other, thus making Homura believes that he at least once associated with the original Disciplinary Squad if Miya's familiar attitude is any hint at all. It also explains a little about why Matsu seemed wary of him.

Then that train of thought causes other questions to pop out. Things like what does he know about the S-Plan to why is he keeping an eliminated Sekirei to how does he keep evading MBI notice for some long run through Homura's head as the Flame Sekirei openly stares at the man. Said man is in a sort of witty banter with his beloved (and scary) landlady, much to the amusement of some. The others are currently bickering over one thing or another, for example, Yomi is trying to taunt Musubi into a fight while Hikari and Hibiki is quietly hissing at Tsukiumi, who's only eyeing the Unwinged with a wary expression. Said Unwinged is bemused as to what to do with herself, being trapped between the twins and Karasuba with the Black Sekirei humming a nameless tune while idly caressing her now exposed katana's handle.

Just then, Homura is brought out of his musing by Naruto saying, "You know, I think I'm a bad influence to you if you're actually suggesting something like that… Whatever makes you suggest that in the first place? …Yes, I am sure now that I'm a bad influence to you… Well, if you are sure… Just so you know, what you're asking of me is going to put me in an annoying position… Right, I'll drop by to visit soon. Later." The blonde finishes as he hangs up the phone, too fast for Homura to protests, but never really finding a valid reason to do so. Even though, he still holds out a hand to ask for the phone back, which Naruto easily relinquish the holds of.

"Ara, ara, what does the Death Goddess want now?" Karasuba sudden asks, not even waiting for Naruto to return the phone to Homura. Despite him being a little wary, the Flame Sekirei also can't help but wonder what was asked of the blonde man. He is almost tempted to call back to Miya to ask what crazy scheme is cooking in her head.

"Hmm… let's just say that someone is asking a little much of me, but nothing that I can't do." Naruto answers, his eyes shining in amusement as he tilts his head back to stare at the sky.

"Ano… Naruto-san?" Minato sudden makes himself known again as he lightly scratches his head and Homura has to wonder what makes the boy stay when he can simply walk away. As if reading his thoughts, his self-proclaimed rival Tsukiumi blinks once, twice, then asks, "Minato-kun… why are we still here when we could of left a while ago?"

XXXXXXXXXX

She can't help it when she feels like that her life has gone to hell.

Oh sure, her life is probably already in hell when she was put inside a laboratory, but if she is to be very honest with herself, that room is much more preferred than the place she is at.

She is sore, she is hungry from all the running and dodging, and now she's edgy because the Spear Point of the Disciplinary Squad is standing not three yards away from her. If all the statistics and abilities as well as records are to be believed, then it wouldn't even take Karasuba a second to severe her head from her body. Despite knowing that Karasuba really has no reason to do that and that she herself has yet to violate any rules, it doesn't settle the anxiety that clutches at her heart.

Worst of all, it seems that she must choose from the several unknowns that is currently surrounding her.

As her silver eyes dart from one party to the next, the Unwinged Sekirei lightly chews on her lower lip as she tries to come up with a decision as to where to head to.

She can go with Karasuba back to MBI where she may get medical treatment, assuming that she isn't forcefully winged by the order of the Director. Supposedly the head of the Sekirei Research Sahashi Takami wouldn't let that happen, but it's a risk that she wouldn't take if she can help it.

She can go with the infamous Twin to see just what it is that they plan to do with a captured Unwinged. The two and their Ashikabi have built quite the reputation within the Sekirei circle, and there must be a good reason behind their actions.

She can go with the Flame Sekirei that is widely known as the Guardian of Sekireis. With him, she can at least be safe for a while, though how long is unknown and just where she can find some peace and quiet is also unknown to her.

She can try and find some shelter with the Ashikabi that she fortunately run into. He is kind as far as she knows, and having two Sekireis means that he has some power. The saying "there is safety in number" applies beautifully in this situation, and if it can be applied to her, then she will gladly accept him as her Ashikabi despite her not reacting to him.

Or…

She could go with HIM!

Yes… he is special…

"Will you look at this? This is quite the gathering!" A boyish voice suddenly calls out, and everyone instantly turns their attention to the owner to find a teenage boy with the biggest grin that is legal. There is a happy glint in his eyes that makes her uneasy, and then there is the strange man walking beside him that gives her a bad vibe. It is similar to Karasuba, except it's more… earthly as compare to Karasuba's hollowness?

"Mutsu, this is such a surprise." Karasuba intones cheerfully with a smirk and the unwinged blinks as she tries to remember where she heard that name before. The blonde man, Naruto if she remembers correctly from all the talking going around also turns around with an eyebrow raised.

"Mutsu, you know her?" The boy, for he acts more like a boy than a teen, asks as he rudely points at Karasuba. The man identified as Mutsu nods silently, though his eyes are focused on Naruto instead. "Hey, is she available?"

"I'm afraid not. She is the Spear Point of the Disciplinary Squad, and as such, she was winged quite early." Mutsu explains formally, his eyes never once leaving Naruto for some reason.

"Oh… That's too bad. I would like to add her to my collection." Ugh… that statement instantly makes the unwinged realize that she will not go with him. "What about the one that looks rather beat up?"

"…I do think she's available."

"Really? Hmm… all we need is some clothing and a bath and of course some ointment."

"I will not allow you to forcefully wing anyone." The Flame Sekirei growls out as he takes a step forward, though it only seems to incite some unnecessary retribution as two Sekireis drop down next to the boy, each wearing a grin on their face and brandishing their respective weapon.

"You should stay where you are. You can wait your term to be winged. At this moment, I'm more interesting in that one." The boy says rather smugly, his nose held high as if he is untouchable. He seems to believe that too if the exasperated eye roll from Mutsu is any indication. "Now then…"

"Mikogami…" Naruto finally speaks, having the effect of once more catching everyone's attention quickly. There is just something about the way he speaks that makes people listen. "I would suggest that you leave this one along."

"And who might you be to tell me what to do?" The boy asks without a hint of manner as he glares openly at the older blonde. Naruto in turns just raise an eyebrow at the behavior while Karasuba chuckles good-naturally. Not sure what is so funny, the unwinged takes a look around to see everyone's reaction. Other than the Ashikabi she ran into, the others all have various range of excitement printed on their faces. That she understands, seeing that she herself is a little excited at the tension that is building in the air. Of course, remembering her rather battered body, the silver-eyed Sekirei decides that perhaps right now is not the best time for a fight, and as such slowly drags the kind Ashikabi away. "I do not have to answer to the likes of you. Besides, since you know what I am, I would suggest that you treat me with the respect I deserves!"

It is Mutsu who answers him with, "Mikogami-sama, I would suggest that we do as he says… Besides, she's already sneaking away."

…Son of a freaking…

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! AKITSU, CATCH HER!"

"Of course master." A voice calls out from beside her ears, and she whips her head around to stare into the emotionless eyes of a Sekirei with the crest upon her head. This one she knows instantly who it is, because there is only ONE of such Sekirei. That piece of information is enough to send her into near panic. "I am sorry, but master wants you to stay."

"Karasuba, run intercept without killing. Yomi, stay close to Minato."

"Hai, hai!"/"Why do I have to go to him?"

For a second, time seems to freeze, and if there is a mirror, the unwinged is quite sure that should she look into it, her face would be a sight to laugh at with how she freezes in astonishment.

Still, one second is all it needs for hell to break loose as she learns today.

It appears that her earlier sentiment about how it's all going to hell is correct, because when two swords are drawn simultaneously and ice starts to creep up her legs while water crashes into the street with lightning arcing everywhere, Sekirei Number 81 Kinkou, the Reversal Sekirei wonders if this is karma for something she done.

If she live through this, and it appears to be a very big "if" at the moment, she will kiss the nearest human of the male species regardless if he is or isn't her Ashikabi. If that means she can off herself and take herself out of the S-Plan, then so be it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's little corner:

Eh… What is there to say? I personally think it could be better, but I don't know how. Writer's block isn't really the issue. School isn't hindering it too much… Maybe I'm just dividing my attention a little too far, stretching them a little too thin.

Or maybe my inspiration is just dying… In that case, more reading might be able to solve it.

Still, do tell me what you think. I personally think that this chapter is sort of a needed bridge; otherwise, I can't do what I want to do without making it too awkward. In fact, this chapter is awkward enough as it is. Ugh, talk about trying to make it perfect only to end up crashing it. I personally find it ironic how when I try to make it to please people, I tend to screw up and when I simply write because I feels like it, I do it just fine. Oh well, I suppose I should just write for fun.

That doesn't mean reviews aren't appreciated. In fact, critics are welcome and any constructive comments will help me improve. Just keep the lid on your temper yes? Sometimes asking too much can cause the opposite to happen.

Well, that is that. Hope you enjoys this little update and that I will see you sooner rather than later.

APH signing out for the day/night.


	7. Author Note: Sadly

**The sad but necessary truth…**

After much thought and reviewing the story, I come to the sad conclusion in that I simply CANNOT continue this story. It has something to do with how my brain work (which I can't explain because I don't' know how), but I just find myself questioning a few things in it.

That, and personally I were never good with over powered Naruto. If anything, I would rather watch him struggle and earn what he can.

As such, this story is DISCONTINUED! The idea will be scrapped, and if interested, it is indeed up for adoption. Otherwise there would be no further update on this one.

I do have idea about another Naruto/Sekirei story though, just not sure how to go about it at the moment. It should be up there sometime in the future I think.

Until then, I thank all who put this story on their alert list and for all the reviews ever submitted. Again I am sorry, but this is it for this particular piece.


End file.
